Tears of Rejection
by Aquira
Summary: Tohru began dating Yuki several years ago. Kyo had left when he found out. Years later, Kyo bumps into her on the street. He hadn't seen her since he was rejected. Will old feelings return? Or will Kyo be rejected again? Kyoru Curse Broken
1. The TV Show

Disclaimer: This story was inspired by Simple Plan's song, Addicted. I don't include the song in this story, but I thought I'd still need to mention where the idea came from, so nobody accuses me of copyright (even though you might find no trace of the song in this fic). And I also don't own the Fruits Basket characters, but I do own the idea for this story, partly (read other part to disclaimer).

Author's Note: There are flashbacks in this fic and they will be in italics. Thoughts will be in bold. Just to clarify, so you're not confused.

Author's Note 2: I based the currency on a website I found that said add two zeros to the end of your amount of money, and you'll have your amount of yen. So $50 would be $5,000 yen. Just so nobody gets confused.

Chapter 1

Kyo Sohma was walking to the bus stop to take the bus home after watching a movie. He reached the bus stop and sat down on the bench with his arms folded across his chest.

As Kyo sat, a couple walked by. They were holding hands and laughing happily about a joke the girl had just told. Kyo rolled his eyes, not really caring for that kind of lovey-dovey thing anymore. He had once, but that was before _she_ had left him for someone else. Now he could care less about loving or even liking someone. He had made a promise to himself that he wouldn't do that again. To keep that promise, Kyo had moved out of Shigure's house, away from _them_. (AN: If you can't tell who 'them' is, I'll tell you. Yuki and Tohru. You'll find out what happened later, but just so you know who Kyo was thinking about. And if you didn't get that before, that's sad.)

He now lived in a one room apartment by himself. Shigure had lent Kyo the money to move out and buy food with, on accounts that Kyo would pay Shigure back one day. Kyo had accepted the deal, and now Shigure sent him a check for $50,000 yen a month that Kyo had to decide how to use. If there was any extra money, Kyo had to send it back at the end of the month. The plan had been working out fairly well, although Kyo hardly ever had any extra money to do fun things with. He hadn't gotten a job, since he had money. But he still looked, unsuccessfully. There just weren't any jobs that interested him. And when there was, Kyo never qualified. Someone better always came along, making the manager turn him down.

The bus finally pulled up to the bus stop. Kyo boarded the bus and rode back to his apartment. The bus driver said, "Good night, sir," as Kyo got off the bus, paying the fare. Kyo gave a slight wave to the bus driver as he got off.

Kyo climbed the stairs to his second story apartment. When he reached his door, he fumbled around in his pockets for his keys, not finding them. "Damn it, " he groaned. **Now I have to get the spare from the superintendent. God, I hate her.** Kyo complained to himself the whole way to the superintendent's apartment. He sighed and knocked on the door. "Michelle? It's Kyo. I lost my keys. I need the spare."

He heard some commotion on the other side of the door. He could tell Michelle was frantically running around, doing what, Kyo did not know. He rolled his eyes, and sighed again, knowing what was coming. The door finally opened, with an out of breath blonde girl standing in the doorway. She flipped her hair flirtatiously, smiling at Kyo. Kyo shook his head as she batted her blue eyes and said, "Kyo. You lost your key? Oh, that's too bad. But lucky for you, I have the spare! Please come in." She gestured for Kyo to enter her house.** Hard to believe she's a superintendent. Her father probably owns the building, and has her look after it so he wont have to deal with her at home**, Kyo thought, laughing silently so that Michelle couldn't hear as he walked into her apartment. She led him to the kitchen, where there was a rack holding all of the renters' spare keys.

He walked over to the rack and looked at the labels to find his key. **B3... B4... B5... B7?**, Kyo thought as he searched for his key. The key to room B6 had been removed from the rack. He looked suspiciously at Michelle. She just looked at him, confused. "Is something wrong, Kyo?" she asked, walking over and standing next to him to get a better view of the key rack. She 'accidentally' brushed her hand against his chest with an, "Oops, sorry." Realization seemed to dawn on her without having to look at the rack. "Kyo, the spare key is gone!" she said in a not-too-convincing horrified voice.

"Yeah, it is gone. I wonder where it went?" Kyo said sarcastically. He now realized that the scurrying he'd heard earlier was Michelle hiding the key. "Well, I guess I'll just go then."

"No! You can stay here tonight, and we can look for the key together!" Michelle said excitedly.

"That's fine. I don't want to," Kyo said, walking down the hall, headed towards the door. Michelle followed him, repeating over and over, "Kyo please stay!"** It's supposed to be a nice night, I can go sleep on a park bench or something. Any place would be better than here**, Kyo thought. As he walked to the door, something caught his eye. There were several pens scattered around a decorative jar on the side table in the living room. He frowned questioningly and turned into the living room, instead of heading for the door. He picked up the jar and Michelle dashed to retrieve it. Kyo, being several inches taller than the girl, held it out of her reach.

"Kyo, give me that jar! It's not yours!" Michelle begged, jumping up and down, trying to get the jar which Kyo kept out of her reach.

"Hmm. I think Michelle is hiding something in this jar," Kyo smirked, turning the jar upside down, dumping the contents into his hand, still out of Michelle's reach. Only a single item fell out: A key labeled B6. "Aha! I knew it. You little sneak!" Michelle still grabbed for the key, to no avail. "You want this?" Kyo asked, indicating the jar. Michelle, thinking he meant the key, nodded vigorously. "Okay, you can have it." Kyo said, handing Michelle the jar. He shoved the key into his pocket and walked out the door.

**That always happens when I go there. God, it is so annoying how she wont stop flirting with me. But I think that's why I only have to pay $25,000 yen for rent in a $50,000 yen apartment, so I'm not complaining... much**, Kyo thought, unlocking the door to his apartment.

He walked in and sat down on his couch. He looked at the clock. It was around 9:00 pm.** I guess I'll go to bed. I ain't got anything better to do.** He stood and walked to his room, collapsing into his bed. He wasn't entirely tired, so it took him a while to get to sleep. And when he finally did sleep, it was rough, and he kept on waking up in the middle of the night. Around 4:00 a.m., he gave up.

Kyo got out of bed and went to sit on his couch. There, he tried to figure out why he couldn't sleep. His mind kept on coming back to that couple he had seen at the bus stop. They had reminded him of his relationship he'd had with Tohru. Even though Tohru and Kyo had never officially said they were dating, there had been a period in time when they were close enough that many people did consider them dating. But that was when the 'incident' had taken place, and Kyo didn't want to think about it.

He turned on his television to distract his thoughts. Michelle had given Kyo free cable, saying that it was some kind of special. Kyo highly doubted that fact, but he didn't care. On the T.V., a show called 'Weddings' was on, where a group of camera people follow around a couple getting prepared for their wedding. And at the end of the show, you got to watch the couple say 'I do.' Kyo found that type of show really corny, and normally would have changed the channel. But the couple that the camera crew was following that episode was what made him continue to watch.

The host of the show was interviewing the bride-to-be the day before her wedding. "So how do you feel about your husband, Tohru? I understand he's quite the catch, Yuki is," the host was saying to the bride. Kyo couldn't believe it. It had been years since he had seen Tohru. She was the reason he'd left. Her and Yuki. Yet there she was, on this wedding show, the day before her wedding. Not to mention the fact that the show was prerecorded and a rerun. That meant that Tohru and Yuki were already married. Kyo continued to watch, to make sure his imagination wasn't playing a trick on him.

"Yes, Yuki is very great. He's smart, kind, and not to mention handsome. He's fun and funny. He does have issues, like this rivalry with an old friend that he wont drop. Even thought that person moved away years ago," Tohru was saying. "But Yuki is the best thing that's happened to me. Even better than getting my job as a cooking instructor at the college. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him." She looked very happy as she said the last sentence. Kyo was shocked at what he was hearing. **I can't believe she's so comfortable talking about me on television! **He wanted to change the channel. He didn't want to listen to Tohru talk about how much she loved Yuki. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Kyo hadn't seen Tohru in years, and even though it was hard to listen to, he had to. He wanted to know how she was doing, even if he couldn't ask her himself. He continued to watch.

"Tohru, have you had any past relationships with anybody, or has Yuki always been the one for you?" the host, whose name, Kyo learned, was Cheryl, asked.

"Well, you remember that rival Yuki has that I was telling you about?" Tohru responded. Cheryl nodded. "He was the closest thing to a relationship I'd ever had, before Yuki that is. But he was always more of a great friend to me and I'd always had my eye on Yuki. I haven't seen that boy for a while. I don't think I've seen him in 2 years. But I'm happy with my choice now," Tohru said smiling pleasantly. Kyo felt as if his heart had been ripped out. He wanted to cry. Tohru had admitted to the world that even when they had been 'together' she had loved Yuki. Kyo took a deep breath, calming himself so he wouldn't cry. He wanted to know if Tohru had any more things to say about their relationship on T.V. But apparently Tohru's interview was over because the host was now talking to the groom: Yuki.

"Tohru told me about this rivalry you have. She also told me that your rival was a past relationship for her. Is this true? Is Tohru the reason for your rivalry? Do you have anything to add to Tohru's statements?" Cheryl questioned.

Yuki smiled. "Ah, Kyo. Nobody's talked to me about him for a while. I guess you could say Kyo had a thing for Tohru, but she never really returned his feelings. And no, Tohru isn't the root of our dispute. It's more of a family thing," Yuki explained. "He was never really accepted by our family, so I grew up believing that he was no good. And because I was so mean to him as a child, Kyo grew up hating me. But I guess you could say that Tohru worsened our rivalry. I won in the end, obviously." Yuki began to laugh at his own joke. Cheryl began laughing with him. This only infuriated Kyo. Yuki was blabbing about their family life on T.V.! Yuki was also making Kyo a laughing stock. Tohru had at least had the decency to not use his name. Yuki obviously didn't care about things like privacy.

Kyo sat with his forehead cupped in his hands.** I'm not watching this any more**, Kyo thought. He then picked up the remote and pressed the 'off' button.** Tohru and Yuki got married. It's not like I didn't expect it, though. I knew they would after I left. It's just so hard... so hard to accept that she's gone. And I can't get her back.**


	2. The Memory

Chapter 2

After Kyo had finally composed himself around 5:00, he had decided to go for a walk. It was drizzling outside, so he pulled his collar up around his neck and continued to walk. There weren't many people outside at 5:00 in the morning, but there were a few people. Kyo wondered if any of them were out walking for the same reason he was. He doubted it though.

As he walked, he heard an almost silent patter of feet behind him. "Hello mister," a little girl said, walking up behind him, almost making Kyo jump.

"Hey," Kyo responded. "Where's your mom? You shouldn't be wandering the streets alone." Kyo looked at the girl. She had brown hair, blue eyes, and looked to be about 3 or 4 years old.

"My mom is back there," the girl said, pointing behind her. "But you looked sad, and I thought you needed a friend."

"Did you tell your mom where you went?" Kyo asked, stopping. He didn't want the little girl getting in trouble for wandering off.

"No," she said simply.

"Well, I think you should get back to your mom. Lets go find her," Kyo said, taking the girls hand and turning her around.

As he started walking with the little girl, he heard a woman screech, "Get your hands off of my daughter!" The woman then ran up to him and began smacking Kyo with her purse. "Let go of her!"

"Ow! Lady, stop! I was just- ow!- going to- ow!- help her- ow!- find you!" Kyo said in between blows.

The lady then ceased hitting him, with a quick, 'Sorry.' She then focused her attention on her daughter. "Samantha Sohma! How many times have I told you not to talk to strangers?"

**Sohma?**, Kyo thought. He then looked at Samantha's mother. She had the same brown hair as her daughter. **It can't be...**

"Tohru?" Kyo said quietly, not quite sure whether he was right.

"Yes?" the woman asked, her eyes still focused on her daughter. "Wait... how do you know my name?" The woman then turned to look at Kyo. Her eyes went wide.

"Kyo?" It was Tohru. She smiled at him. "Hey..."

"Hey. It's been a while," Kyo said, smiling back.

"Yeah," she responded. There was an awkward silence in which neither of them could think of anything to say. Samantha just looked at the two adults, somewhat confused.

Kyo broke the silence saying, "So, I see you had a daughter. Yuki's the father, isn't he?" Kyo was trying to remain calm and casual, but you could hear the hurt in his voice.

Tohru nodded. "Yes, he is. We're married now."

"I... I know. I saw on the T.V. this morning," Kyo explained. When Tohru looked confused by his statement, he continued. "The 'Weddings' show. It was on this morning, and I saw."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. That must have been at least 4 years ago," Tohru said, looking down at the ground. Kyo thought that she was trying to avoid his gaze.

"It seems you're very happy now. I heard you were a cooking teacher," Kyo asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

Tohru nodded. She still looked at the ground. Then, seeming to remember something, she gasped. "We're late! Come on Sam!" She grabbed her daughter's hand, but before leaving, she turned to Kyo. "It was nice to see you again, Kyo." She then dashed off, to wherever she was going this early in the morning.

Kyo could hear Samantha asking, "Was that uncle Kyo?" and Tohru answering, "Yes, now hurry! Mommy's late for work, and we still have to get you to daycare!" Kyo couldn't help but smile. **Same old Tohru. In a hurry and distracted too easily.**

His smile soon faded, though, as he began to think about the last time he had seen Tohru. Him and her had been rather close, and one didn't go anywhere without the other. Shigure referred to them as dating. They weren't, of course, but the thought had entered Kyo's mind several times. Once he had finally mustered up the courage to actually ask her, it created a painful memory that he hated to think about. But the memory came flooding back to him as he walked down the street to his home.

_..."Tohru, meet me outside later. Around 8:00pm?" Kyo asked. She nodded. "Okay, see you at 8:00 then." Kyo then went to the flower store and bought her a bouquet of roses. It was rather expensive, but Kyo wanted the night to be special, so price wasn't an issue._

_At 8:00, Kyo waited outside near the forest in the back yard. Kyo lied a blanked down under a tree, and was waiting for Tohru there. She finally showed up, about 15 minutes late, apologizing for about 5 minutes, saying something about having to talk to Yuki, before Kyo got the point across to her that he was fine with her being late. She smiled and looked up at the starry sky._

"_It's beautiful out tonight, isn't it Kyo?" Tohru asked him. He looked up at the sky as well. There wasn't a single cloud to obscure his vision of the stars and the crescent moon._

"_Yeah," he responded quietly. He picked up the bouquet. "Tohru, these are for you," he said, handing her the bouquet. She took them happily, kissing him on the cheek and hugging him._

"_You're so sweet to me," she said, setting the bouquet aside and turning to face Kyo. "What did you want to see me for, Kyo?"_

"_I have something to tell you," Kyo said. "Tohru, I've felt this way for a while now, and I need to tell you..." He had trouble vocalizing his feelings._

"_What is it, Kyo?" Tohru asked._

"_Tohru I... I really like you, Tohru," Kyo explained. He couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted to._

"_I like you too, Kyo," Tohru responded. It frustrated Kyo that she didn't get his real meaning. He sighed, looked her right in the eyes, and tried again._

"_No, Tohru, that's not what I mean. What I'm trying to say is... is that... I... I love you, Tohru," Kyo stammered. It was a very difficult thing to say. He turned the other way._

"_Oh, Kyo," Tohru said. Her voice was full of sympathy; not what Kyo had been expecting. He hoped she would have been excited, and hoped she would have felt the same way. But she wasn't excited, and she didn't say she felt the same way. She sounded the exact opposite, and used an almost pitying voice. "Kyo, I wish I could say the same, but I can't." She glanced at the house nervously, as if she was afraid that someone was watching them._

_Kyo looked at her, confused, ready to cry. He hung his head. "Kyo, I'm sorry," she apologized. _

_Kyo just shook his head at his own stupidity. "It's Yuki, isn't it?" She nodded. He bit his lower lip to keep himself from saying something stupid._

"_Kyo, I am really sorry," she tried to apologize again. _

_Kyo shook his head again. Standing up he said, "You can't apologize for your feelings." He began to walk away, but Tohru grabbed his hand, halting him._

"_Kyo..." she started._

_He yanked his hand out of her grasp. "Don't even try it! I don't want to listen to it!" he snapped. He knew he shouldn't have been yelling, but he wasn't in control of himself. He let his anger get the better of him. "I have to go." Kyo walked into the house, and up the stairs to his room. He collapsed onto the bed, forcing himself not to cry. He eventually fell asleep, waking up in the morning feeling horrible._

_He walked down the stairs to the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal. He sat down at the table where Tohru, Yuki, and Shigure were already eating their breakfasts. Kyo tried to ignore them by looking only at his cereal._

"_Good morning, Kyo," Tohru said to him pleasantly. When he didn't respond, she too looked down at her cereal. Shigure noticed Kyo's cold behavior._

"_Kyo, can I talk to you?" Shigure asked. _

"_I don't really want to," Kyo said rudely._

"_Well, I want to talk to you, so you're coming with me and we're having a little chat," Shigure demanded. Kyo glared at him, but reluctantly followed as Shigure led Kyo to his office._

"_You mind telling me what's with you and Tohru? What happened to my happy little couple?" Shigure asked playfully after the door to his office was shut._

"_I don't really want to talk about it," Kyo responded. They both sat down; Shigure sat in the chair behind his desk and Kyo sat in the chair in front of it._

"_Did something happen last night?" Shigure asked, becoming more serious, seeing that Kyo was really upset._

"_Yes, something happened," Kyo said bluntly, ignoring Shigure's looks of encouragement to continue._

"_Well, what was it?" Shigure asked, realizing Kyo wasn't going to continue without a little boost to make him do so. Kyo just looked at the ground, not responding. "It was something bad, wasn't it?" Kyo nodded. "You can tell me. I'll try to help."_

_Kyo sighed. "I told her, Shigure. I told her how I felt," Kyo began, crying slightly. "She told me she loved Yuki." _

"_Kyo..." Shigure began to say. But Kyo wasn't finished talking._

"_I tell her I love her, and she tells me she loves Yuki!" Kyo shouted through tears. He pounded his fist on Shigure's desk._

"_Keep it down Kyo. I'm guessing that Tohru and Yuki can hear you in the other room. Do you want that?" Shigure asked, trying to calm Kyo._

"_Let them hear! Let Tohru hear how much she hurt me! Let Yuki hear how much trouble he's caused! I want them to hear it!" Kyo shouted, standing up and pacing back and forth._

"_Calm down Kyo. I know you're hurt, but you need to calm down. Is there anything I can do?" Shigure asked, getting up from his desk, in case Kyo was mad enough to throw something._

"_Yeah. Get me out of this damn house. I want to get as far away as I can from her!" Kyo shouted, pointing in the direction of the kitchen. "I don't want to be around her! Or him! I just want to leave!"_

"_Okay, I'll see what I can do. I can't guarantee anything, though. I'll talk to Akito tomorrow and see if he'll give you permission to live in the 'outside', without living at mine or Kazuma's house, that is," Shigure explained. "But until I talk to him, you're going to have to control yourself. I don't want any more outbursts like this one."_

"_Okay," Kyo said, taking a deep breath. Shigure then called Hatori and scheduled a meeting with Akito for the next day. Hatori said that Kyo didn't need to come to the appointment._

_Kyo then left Shigure's office, and headed for his room. As he passed the living room, he saw Yuki hugging a sobbing Tohru. Kyo stopped mid-step to listen to what they were saying. Yuki was saying things like, 'It's okay. Kyo's just upset,' and 'He doesn't hate you Tohru. Who could hate you?'_

_Kyo just rolled his eyes and walked up to his room. He spent the rest of the day in there, doing nothing in particular, mainly sleeping. _

_He waited patiently for the next day to come. Shigure left for his meeting with Akito, and came back with the news that Kyo could move out, as long as he remained in contact with someone in the family so he didn't disappear again. Shigure offered to be the person Kyo kept contact with and Akito agreed. Then during the next few days, the process of Kyo finding an affordable apartment and moving out took place. It took exactly a week. Kyo kept in contact with Shigure by sending him letters about what was going on. In Shigure's return letter, it always stated how much money Kyo owed him. "So there would be proof that you borrowed the money," Shigure said. Kyo hadn't seen any of them since. The letters had been Kyo's only contact with anyone in the Sohma family- until he had seen Tohru again..._

When Kyo got back to his apartment, he found that his mood hadn't improved one bit. If his walk did anything, it made his mood worse. Bumping into Tohru hadn't been a real pleasant experience. He sank into the couch, pushing the thought to the back of his mind. **Don't think about it, Kyo. It'll only make your mood worse**, he told himself.

Kyo picked up the paper and pulled out the Classified Ads. **Maybe there'll be a job I like. Then again, I probably won't get the job. But I can still try.** Kyo flipped through the pages. Not seeing a job he wanted, he sat the paper down on the coffee table. Kyo sat there, staring at it, willing the pages to show him something he could use. He knew very well that the ads wouldn't budge, but he still stared. Then something caught his eye. He picked up the ads and searched for the ad he'd seen. When he found it, he smiled. It was perfect; what he'd always wanted to do with his life. And here it was, in the paper. Kyo grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the ad out.

He walked over to his phone, and dialed the number provided. He was greeted with a pleasant, "Hello?"

"Um, hi. Is this Mr. Randall?" Kyo asked, using the name listed in the ad.

"Yes it is. May I ask who is calling?" the voice on the phone, whose name was apparently Mr. Randall, responded.

"Yeah, my name is Kyo Sohma, and I'd like to apply for a job," Kyo answered, trying not to sound nervous. He had never really talked to a manager when he asked for a job. There was always a secretary who answered. She immediately asked if he had a resume, and when he said no, the secretary would always say, "I'm sorry, but you're not the type of person we're looking for."

"Okay, Kyo. Come on over, and I'll interview you. We'll see from there," Mr. Randall explained.

"Sure! But... I don't have a resume or anything," Kyo replied.

"That's perfectly fine. I always thought resumes were a waist of my time to read over, anyways. I'd much rather meet the guy in person, and if I like him, and think he can handle the job, I give it to him. Or her, if you'd rather," Mr. Randall explained. Kyo laughed. He could tell he already liked this Mr. Randall guy.

"I'll see you when I get there then," Kyo said. With that, he hung up the phone and walked out of his apartment.

_**

* * *

**_

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

Fallen Angel: Thanks for reviewing anyways, Mary. I'm glad you liked it a second time. lol.

KittySand Katie: Wow! My first fic and already it's in a C2 and on somebody's favorites list! Thanks!

Lilshrimp thingy: I'm glad you liked my story so much! I update when I get 5 reviews on a chapter, so just be patient.

Purejoy: Rest assured, it will be. Just because Tohru is married to Yuki doesn't mean she won't end up with Kyo. Wait and see...


	3. The Interview

Author's Note: Sorry guys, this chapter is really short. And by the way, I am updating when I get 7 reviews from 7 different people, so send in those reviews!

Chapter 3

Kyo looked at the small building's address, and the address that was on the clipping in his hand. The numbers matched. **This is the place. Well, here goes**, Kyo thought, walking up to the doors of the building. There was a small 'Help Wanted' sign hanging in the window that Kyo excitedly glanced at before entering.

There were several doors along the hallway, none of them leading to where Kyo needed to go. Finally, at the last door in the hallway, he knocked three times. He looked at the shiny, bronzed plate, labeled 'Koji Randall', on the door. He watched the label retreat from his vision as the door opened. A balding man with a warm smile stood in place of the door, welcoming Kyo into the office.

"You must be Kyo," the man said, gesturing for Kyo to sit in the free chair in the office as he sat in the one behind the desk. Seeing that the chair was over in the corner, Kyo pulled it closer to the desk and sat down. The man noticed this and said, "Sorry. I keep that chair over there so I don't trip over it. This is a rather small office. Anyways, let's get on with this interview." Kyo nodded, becoming nervous.

"So, Mr. Sohma, why do you want to become a teacher at my dojo?" Mr. Randall asked. "You could have any job you wanted. Why a dojo, Kyo?"

"Well, I've love martial arts. It's always been a passion of mine. I guess I just want to pass on my knowledge to kids who share the same interests," Kyo responded. He looked at his interviewer. Mr. Randall was smiling. He obviously liked Kyo's answer.

"Good answer. Now tell me, how much experience do you have in this field? I like to have my teachers well experienced," Mr. Randall asked.

"Most of my life really. I trained with my cousins most of my child hood, and I have some one on one experience with my previous shishou, Kazuma. So I'd say that I've quite a bit of experience, Mr. Randall," Kyo said proudly.

"That is very impressive, Kyo. Now tell me, is this going to be a long term job for you, or are you just taking the job to get money, and then leave?" Mr. Randall questioned.

Kyo was shocked that Mr. Randall would ask him that. "Of course it's a long term job! Are you kidding me when you ask that? It's the perfect job for me! I have been looking for a job for quite some time now, and I was so happy when I found a job that I could actually qualify for. I want this job more than anything in the world right now, Mr. Randall."

"Very well. It's yours," Mr. Randall said simply.

"Excuse me?" Kyo asked.

"The job; it's yours. You are now one of the teachers at the new dojo in Nagasaki," Mr. Randall explained.

"Did I hear you right?" Kyo asked confused. "The dojo is in Nagasaki? Not here? I thought it would be here! Isn't this building yours? Isn't it a dojo?"

"Okay, I'll answer your questions one at a time," Mr. Randall said patiently. "Yes, you heard me right. Yes, the dojo is in Nagasaki. No, it's not here. No, this building isn't mine, just this room. No, this is not a dojo. Dojos don't usually contain private offices of businesses."

Kyo was still confused. "So you just own this office? Do you have a building in Nag-"

"No more questions," Mr. Randall interrupted. "I will explain to you what the situation is and then- I hope this isn't the case- you can ask any questions you have afterwards."

"Okay," Kyo responded.

"My boss, who owns a chain of dojos across Japan, promoted me," Mr. Randall explained. "He promoted me to manager of the dojo in Nagasaki. He also put me in charge of finding teachers for said dojo. He rented me this office for a short while so I could have a place to interview applicants and set my affairs concerning this business in order. I put out an ad in the paper saying that a few martial arts teachers were needed for a new dojo opening in Nagasaki. It also said that transportation fees to Nagasaki were paid in full and help finding new quarters would be provided if needed."

Kyo only remembered reading about a martial arts teacher being needed. He could have sworn that the ad said the job would be in Tokyo, though. To check, he pulled the ad out of his pocket and read it carefully.

-HELP WANTED-

Martial Artist needed to pass on knowledge

of skills. Must have studied at least five

years of martial arts to apply for position.

New dojo opening in Nagasaki is location of

business. All transportation fees will be paid

in full. Locating a new home for an employee

will be provided if needed. Contact employer,

Mr. Randall, if more information is needed.

Contact info:

PHONE: 639-825-0472

ADDRESS: 762 13th St. Tokyo, Japan

(look for Koji Randall's room)

**Damn it. It does say Nagasaki**, Kyo thought. **Oh well. It's not like I have anyone here I need to worry about leaving behind. My family doesn't need me here.**

"So, what do you say, Kyo?" Mr. Randall asked. He had seen Kyo take out the newspaper clipping and the manager wanted to know if Kyo still wanted the job.

"Huh?" Kyo asked, being snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah. Nagasaki will be fine. I just have to tell my family that I'm leaving. They like to keep track of me." Mr. Randall grew a confused face. "I ran away once, and now they keep a tag on me wherever I go. I really don't want to talk about it. And trust me, I won't do it again, so you don't have to worry, Mr. Randall."

"Fine with me. And it's great that you accepted this job. You seem like the perfect applicant. It will be great having you as an employee," Mr. Randall responded. "When do you think you could make it to Nagasaki?"

"At most, a month. I need to use up this month's rent, get family things in order, and pack my things. So a month, yeah," Kyo responded.

"Well, that's all I needed. You can leave now, but keep in touch. I want to know when I should schedule the flight for you and the other teachers," Mr. Randall said as both him and Kyo got out of their chairs. Mr. Randall then shook Kyo's hand and Kyo walked out the door of the office and back to his apartment.

A week after Kyo's meeting with Mr. Randall, he had his things nearly packed. All he had to do now was tell Michelle that he was leaving the apartment building and talk to his family. He wished he didn't have to do either. Michelle would throw a fit and beg him to stay and he would just feel awkward around his family. He hadn't seen any of them in about five years, except for Tohru, and meeting up with them after those five years would be an interesting experience. But he had to do it, and he was going to.

Kyo decided to visit Michelle first, thinking that she would be easier to deal with than his family. He walked down the steps from his apartment and to the superintendent's room on the floor below. Kyo rapped his hand on the door three times and waited. He only waited about ten seconds before Michelle opened the door for him. **That was fast. No scurrying around hiding keys this time. Cool**, Kyo thought as followed Michelle's cue to come inside.

Michelle led Kyo to her living room, where he took a seat in a rocking chair and she sat down on her couch. Kyo waited for Michelle to talk first and looked around the room instead. He saw that the pens that had been scattered during the key incident were still sprawled out on the end table. He laughed inwardly.

Michelle didn't notice. "So, what brings you here Kyo?" she asked flirtatiously. She flipped her hair and batted her eyes the way she always did when she was talking to Kyo.

Kyo rolled his eyes and answered her question. "I came here to tell you something." Michelle became excited and urged him to continue. "Michelle, I'm moving to Nagasaki next month. I will use up this month's rent, and by August, I will be unpacked and settled into my new home in Nagasaki." Michelle's face sunk. Kyo could tell she was expecting him to say something other than what he did. He almost laughed again.

"Are you joking me?" Michelle asked horrified. Kyo shook his head. "But why, Kyo? Aren't you happy with m- your apartment?" She had almost said 'Aren't you happy with me?'. She caught herself before she did, but Kyo noticed anyways. He just about cracked up laughing. **I really need to control this laughing problem I have**, Kyo thought as he held the laughter in.

"The apartment is fine, Michelle. It's just that my new job is located in Nagasaki, and I need a home there," Kyo explained. "You have been a great landlord and I might visit you sometime if I'm in town." He got up to leave. On his way out the door, he turned back. "I'll have my key for you in a few weeks. I'll hand it to you before I leave." **This'll get her. **"Personally."

Even after Kyo closed the door, he could hear Michelle's giddiness as he walked away. Now that she couldn't hear him, he burst out laughing. He laughed at the scattered pens and at how gullible Michelle was. **I think I just ruined and made her day at the same time**, Kyo thought, rather confused. **On to my family.**

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

Fallen Angel: (voice becomes like one of those old mentor guys in the movies that everyone goes to for advice) All in good time, Mary. All in good time...

ILOVEInuyasha07: I'm glad you liked it! And don't stop reading it! It wasn't as sad in this chapter, right? Although I'm not too sure about the next one. It's funny in the beginning, then it gets kind of sad.

KittySand Katie: That's okay. I'm just happy that I was recognized. And I completely agree with you on the whole Yuki thing. -shoots Yuki, too-

Melody: Glad you like it! (voice becomes like one of those old mentor guys in the movies that everyone goes to for advice) You will see. All the answers you seek will come in future chapters...

(I think I'm having too much fun with that old guy voice)

Karen: Thanks for reviewing! You were the 5th reviewer, and that was how many reviews I was looking for. So you got your wish.


	4. The Family Reunion

Author's Note: I decided to let you guys slide with only 6 reviews and I have changed my updating policy. I will update every 2-3 days. But I would still like reviews, so... um... leave a review before you go. Please?

Chapter 4

The bus ride to the Sohma estate a few days after Kyo's visit with Michelle was a boring one, although Kyo had a rather interesting seat companion. The man next to Kyo on the bus kept on gasping for breath, turning to Kyo, and blowing the air out of his lungs right into Kyo's face. Kyo got the impression that the man was either crazy or retarded and resisted the urge to punch the man because of these suspicions.

Kyo was very thankful when the bus finally came to his stop, right in front of the Sohma house- or rather Shigure's house. There were a few cars in front of the author's home, and Kyo thought that they might be there to see him. Kyo had sent Shigure a letter telling him that he would be coming to visit and, obviously, Shigure had told the entire family to come.

Kyo made his way to the front door and knocked three times. As he waited, he could hear conversation coming from his family on the other side of the door. Kyo wasn't sure if his family was yelling at one another, or actually enjoying each others' company. Either option was reasonable, although Kyo suspected that it was the first one. The door opened and Shigure stood in the doorway, beckoning him inside. Kyo took off his shoes and jacket and placed them in the appropriate places, then walked down the hall to the living room where the rest of his family was.

Almost everyone was there. Akito was sitting next to the fireplace authoritatively in a chair acting like he owned the place. Ritsu was apologizing to Hatori for bumping into him and spilling his coffee on the doctor. Haru was sitting there, looking bored, as he always did with Rin was sitting quietly next to him. Ayame was saying something to Kureno. It was obviously a joke because they both laughed. Shigure was in the kitchen, preparing some drinks for everyone. Momiji was trying to make conversation with the bored Haru, but the former Ox of the Sohma family wasn't paying attention. Kagura jumped when she saw Kyo and was currently running her mouth to him as he looked around the room, ignoring her. The people who weren't there were Kisa and Hiro, whom Kyo guessed were at school as it was a school day and they were Seniors this year. He noticed that Yuki and Tohru weren't there either. That saddened and joyed him at the same time. It upset him because he wouldn't be able to see Tohru. It made him happy because he didn't have to see Tohru and Yuki together as a couple.

As he was thinking about Tohru, Kagura got fed up with Kyo ignoring her. "Kyo, are you listening to me?" she asked sternly.

"What, huh?" Kyo responded, being snapped away from his thoughts of Tohru and Yuki.

"You weren't listening to me, were you, Kyo?" Kagura accused. She got a fierce look in her eyes as she clenched her fist in anger. Kyo just shrunk. He knew what Kagura could and would do to him. "How could you not listen to me, Kyo?" Kagura asked desperately. She raised her balled fist with tears in her eyes. "I don't see you for five years, and you don't even pay attention to me when I talk? What kind of person are you, Kyo?" She swung her fist down and Kyo barely dodged the blow. Instead of Kagura's hand hitting Kyo, it hit the wall, making a hole in the wall.

"Why do you people always break my house?" Shigure asked as he walked in with a tray of drinks. He shoved the tray into Hatori, who was going to wash up from Ritsu spilling coffee on him. Hatori was caught off guard and all of the drinks on the tray poured onto Hatori when the tray fell. Shigure got distracted when the drinks fell and went to help Hatori clean up the mess instead of saving Kyo from Kagura.

Kyo realized that his only option was to run, so he did. There wasn't much space to run inside, so he dashed to the front door with Kagura in pursuit behind him. Kyo reached the door, opened it, ran outside, and straight into Yuki. They both fell backwards from the impact.

"Watch where you're going, stupid cat," Yuki said when he realized that Kyo had been the one who'd bumped into him.

"I'm not the cat anymore, damn rat," Kyo responded, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"And I'm not the rat anymore, Kyo," Yuki retorted. He stood up and reached a hand out to help Kyo up off the ground. Kyo looked at Yuki's hand, studying it, for a moment. Not only was he surprised that Yuki was being nice to him, but Kyo couldn't help but notice the gold band around his finger, the ring that was a symbol of Tohru's love. Kyo stared at the ring for a moment, but eventually took Yuki's hand.

"Thanks," Kyo said in an almost confused voice. Then, seeming to only just then remember why he was outside in the first place, he wheeled around, searching for any sign of Kagura. Haru had contained her and Kagura was now sitting on the porch talking to him pleasantly. She seemed to have forgotten that she was mad at Kyo. **As usual**, Kyo thought.

"Your welcome," Yuki replied. He then got a worried expression on his face and turned around, walking back in the direction he'd come from. Kyo followed, wondering where he was going.

Yuki walked over to one of the cars in the driveway, with Kyo still accompanying him without his knowledge. "You need any help, Tohru?" Yuki was saying.

"It's just this car seat strap. I can't get it undone," a woman's voice- Tohru's voice- responded.

"Here. Let me do it," Yuki replied. Now knowing where Yuki had gone, and wishing he didn't, Kyo walked back to the house.

**I wish they hadn't shown up**, Kyo thought as he sat down on the couch next to Ayame. **Now I have to deal with seeing them together. I'm kind of glad I'm going to Nagasaki, now. I won't have to see them.**

"What's the matter?" Ayame asked, leaning towards Kyo. **I knew it wasn't a good idea to sit next to him**, Kyo thought as he sighed.

"Nothing. Just thinking," Kyo said, staring at the ground, hoping that Ayame would get the hint. But he didn't. Instead, Ayame began to dramatically lecture Kyo on 'affairs of the heart,' as Ayame called it. **Like I really expected him to leave me alone**, Kyo thought sarcastically. Kyo tuned out Ayame and waited for Shigure and Hatori to finish so he could say what needed to be said and then leave. **The sooner I get out of here, the better. I can't stand my family.**

Kyo didn't have to wait long before everyone was seated. Yuki and Tohru, with Samantha sitting on her lap, were introducing their little girl to the rest of the family. Shigure was still trying to get the juice stains out of Hatori's jacket, while the rest of the family either awed at the newest Sohma or chatted amongst themselves. When the author was satisfied with the doctor's coat's condition, he stood and gestured for Kyo to do the same. Kyo wondered why Shigure was making such a big deal out of the situation. **It's like I'm announcing a wedding**, Kyo thought as he stood up. **But then again, this is Shigure we're talking about, so no big surprise.**

"Kyo has an important announcement to make, so everybody, listen up!" Shigure commanded. The Sohma family all quieted down and focused their eyes on Kyo.

Kyo rolled his eyes at Shigue's excitedness. "Okay, before I tell you, let me just say it's not as big as Shigure is making it sound. In fact, it's not really significant except to those of you keeping a tag on me." As Kyo said the last sentence, he glanced at Akito and continued his speech. "I really don't know why Shigure called you all here to hear this when he could have just told you all over the phone like he should have, saving you all a car trip. But since you're all here, I guess I have to tell you now... In about a week, I am moving to Nagasaki." Kyo stopped there to see peoples' reactions. Kagura almost broke into tears. Haru nodded in approval as if he wished he could do the same. Ritsu looked horrified that anybody would even consider leaving Tokyo, as did Momiji. Akito gave Kyo a warning look as if to say, 'You need to stay in contact or your head will be mounted on my wall.' The rest just looked surprised that Kyo was leaving to be farther away from the family than he already was. "I'm not doing it to get away from you guys," Kyo explained. **That's just a plus**, he thought. "I have a new job there. I am going to be a martial arts instructor at a new dojo opening in Nagasaki. I talked to my boss and he said that I could visit one week a year, and I said I would. I will keep in contact with you all when I'm not here, as well." Kyo then sat back down and waited for something else to happen.

Tohru was the first to speak after Kyo was finished. "That's great that you found a job, Kyo! Too bad it's all the way in Nagasaki. Would you come and visit on the same week every year, or would you just come whenever?"

"I would come and visit every year in May. I don't know which week, but Mr. Randall, my boss, said that I could only visit in May, when he had a substitute. Apparently, my sub can only work in May," Kyo explained, shrugging. "So I'll set aside one day in the week that I'm here to visit each of you. That is all I have to say, so unless anyone else has anything that is important to announce, I have to finish packing." He stood up and began to walk away, but Ayame stopped him.

"No, no, no, no, no! That will not do, Kyon Kyon. Shigure invited us over for a family get together, and we're going to enjoy each other's company," Ayame scolded. He then steered Kyo back to the couch and forced him to sit down again.

Kyo did as Ayame told him, not wanting the clothing designer to yell at him again. The entire Sohma family talked, and laughed, and, surprisingly, they enjoyed each other's company. Kisa and Hiro came after their school let out and were filled in on what was happening. They joined in on the fun, too. Everyone was having fun. Even Hatori, who'd gotten two more drinks spilled on him during the activities, was having fun. Despite Kyo enjoying himself over games, movies, music, and refreshments, he still felt somewhat depressed the entire time.

He was happy for Tohru, he really was. He was happy because she was happy. The thing that got Kyo down, though, was that Tohru was happy with Yuki, and not with him. She lived with Yuki, not him. She had a beautiful little girl named Samantha with Yuki, not him. He kept on seeing Tohru snuggle up to Yuki when the scary movie was on. He kept on seeing her and Yuki hug when either of them won at the many board games they played with the family. And Kyo didn't hide his feelings very well. Whenever they would hug or kiss, he found himself muttering, "Get a room, why don't you?" He made a point not to be too near either of them. Kyo also got up and attempted to leave several times- to no success, though, as Ayame kept on reseating him on the couch. He finally gave up and tried to enjoy the rest of his evening. But by this time, everyone was ready to go home and sleep, as it was around 10:30 at night.

**What a wasted evening**, Kyo thought as he walked out the front door, waving good bye to anyone who waved to him first. **I had to watch Tohru and Yuki with each other, and Ayame wouldn't let me leave and do something useful.** When he got outside, he found it was raining heavily. **The perfect way to end a perfect night**, Kyo thought miserably. **Just my luck, too. To have it rain when I'm miserable.**

As he thought, he didn't notice light footsteps following behind him. Kyo did notice, though, when the footstep's owner tapped him on the shoulder. Kyo spun around and met face to face with Tohru.

"Hey Kyo," she said quietly.

"Hey," Kyo responded. He continued to walk, not really wanting to talk to Tohru at the moment. But she followed him. Kyo noticed this and stopped. "What do you want?" He said this sentence in a more annoyed voice than he should have when talking to Tohru and he knew it, but he didn't necessarily want to talk to her.

Tohru looked hurt over the harshness in his voice, but passed it over when she remembered he was upset over something (which was her initial reason for following him). "What's the matter, Kyo? Are you mad at me? If so, what did I do? I know Yuki is involved in this problem because you acted mad at him, too. Tell me what's wrong."

Kyo really didn't want to say what was wrong. So, instead of answering her questions, he started walking again and changed the subject. "Speaking of Yuki, where is he? You were never without him the whole time you were here, and now he's not with you. Where'd he go?"

"He's putting Samantha in the car and then waiting for me. I asked him if he would so I could come and talk to you," Tohru explained. Kyo thought that he might have actually gotten away with changing the subject, but he didn't. Tohru realized she had let herself get distracted and immediately got back on track. "And don't try to change the subject on me, Kyo! Now tell me what's the matter with you. You had me worried."

Kyo stopped walking again, not believing that Tohru had asked him that after he'd made it so obvious. Did she actually not remember what had caused him to leave the family in the first place? He gave her a shocked look "What do you mean, what's the matter with me? You should know this, Tohru! I told you what was the matter with me five years ago!" Kyo shouted. She looked at him, confused. **She forgot that I told her I loved her**, Kyo thought. That hurt him. "Don't tell me you forgot," Kyo pleaded, realization dawning on him. She looked up at him, her eyes saying that she had. "No," he mumbled more to reassure himself than to Tohru. Kyo just walked right past her, rather than stand there and explain himself.

As Kyo walked off, he could hear Tohru calling for him. "Go back to Yuki!" he shouted in response. "I'm sure you'd much rather be with him than me!" He continued to walk all the way to the bus stop, his eyes beginning to well up. He was expecting to have to wait for the bus, and he was right. According to the other man at the bus stop, the bus had just passed and he would have to wait another fifteen minutes for the next one.

**Just great. Tohru can catch up with me now**, Kyo thought. As he was sitting there, waiting for the bus to come, and hoping that Tohru wouldn't, the man sitting next to him got up and left, saying that he could just walk home. That freed up the seat next to him. It was soon filled, though. Kyo looked to see who it was, having a pretty good guess already.

"Kyo, why'd you run off like that?" Tohru asked, concerned. The rain disguised the few tears that fell down Kyo's face.

"How could you forget that, Tohru?" Kyo asked, not directly answering her question, but answering it all the same. He turned to her and looked her in the eyes.

"Forget what, Kyo?" Tohru asked. "If you would tell me, maybe I would remember."

Kyo sighed and turned away from her. "Forget it. When I told you last time you rejected me. This time won't be any different." Kyo said this more to himself than to Tohru, but he still wanted her to hear it.

Tohru was taken aback by this statement and she didn't know how to respond. She couldn't think of what Kyo was talking about, no matter how hard she tried. She knew he told her five years ago, and that was just about it. She scolded herself for forgetting something that obviously meant a lot to Kyo. Tohru didn't have much time to think on the matter as the bus that Kyo was waiting for pulled up to them. He got on without saying good bye.

"Are you getting on?" the bus driver asked Tohru.

"Oh. No," Tohru said, getting up from the bench and walking back to her car, where Yuki was waiting. She still thought about what had caused Kyo's anguish as she walked.

Kyo watched Tohru from the window as the bus drove away. More tears threatened to fall, but he held them back. **All the more reason to leave**, Kyo thought as he headed home.

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

Aria's Star: I'm glad you like it. Thanks for reviewing. I hope you keep reading and reviewing!

ILOVEInuyasha07: Thank you for coming back. lol. That is what Kyo thinks, too. But it's all up to Tohru in the end.

Fallen Angel: I thought that was funny, too. Sounds like a plan to me. Just as long as you read it eventually.

Karen: Thank you so much for all the praise. I will be sure to continue, since I have so many dedicated fans. (Okay. I'm exaggerating just a bit)

KittySand Katie:'San' in Japanese means 'miss', so he does call her Miss Honda in the manga. I have found someone else who thinks he's a rapist! Yay me! ... Wait... that sounded weird...

Melody: What'sstrange is, I chose the city Nagasaki, and later that night, I watched a T.V. show in which the characters are told to go to Nagasaki. I thought it was kind of a weird coincidence. Anyways, thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you liked it!


	5. The New House

Author's Note: Sorry. This is a short chapter. I hope that the next one will be longer, although I can't guarantee anything.

Author's Note2: My friend Alexa is over right now and she is forcing me to tell you that she says 'hi.'

Chapter 5

A week later, Kyo was on board a plane to Nagasaki. He was sitting in Coach with the other teachers. Kyo thought that the new teachers for the dojo were very nice and friendly. Most of them were funny, too. **They'd have to be enjoyable, though, for Mr. Randall to hire them**, Kyo realized, after giving the matter some thought. There were four other teachers, since there were five levels of training at the new dojo.

Tani Hurotomi was the only instructor above Kyo in skill level. She was also the only female teacher that Mr. Randall had hired. She was to teach the fifth level at the dojo. Tani had long black hair and brown eyes. She wore an Indian looking headband and rather loose brown clothes. Kyo described her best as a hippie. She was very pretty, in his opinion, but he'd still rather have Tohru.

Miles Akojimi had black hair and green eyes. He obviously loved his job as he wore a different type of martial arts or some sort of fighting uniform every day. Miles was a few years older than Kyo and taught the second level students. He had a wife, a three year old daughter, and a five year old son who were sitting in the row behind the teachers.

Katsuro Osamu had greying brown hair and his eyes were an almost black shade of brown. He looked to be in his early fifties. Katsuro always wore a black bandana around his head. Kyo thought it was to hide the fact that the man was going bald. Katsuro taught the third level students. His wife and teenage son were sitting in the row behind them with Miles' family.

Juro Peterson taught the first level students. He had light brown hair and blue eyes. Juro wore a lot of black and didn't talk much. He reminded Kyo somewhat of Tohru's friend Saki Hanajima. Juro came from America, and his native tongue was English, but he spoke Japanese fluently, even if it be with a slight accent.

All of these people were sitting in the same row as Kyo was. Tani and Juro were sleeping, Miles was trying to eat a packet of peanuts but was having difficulty opening the bag, and Katsuro was watching the in-flight-movie, as was Kyo. **We should only be flying for another half hour**, Kyo thought. Nagasaki was fairly close to Tokyo, so by plane it wouldn't take very long to get there.

The plane landed and the five teachers got off. Mr. Randall had already rented five cars for his new teachers. They all got their luggage and headed in their separate directions. Kyo hadn't been behind the wheel of a car for a while. He'd always preferred to take the bus. But since he had to drive a car, he did.

He soon found his new house. It wasn't anything big. Mr. Randall had found the house for Kyo. The house was a small, light green, three bedroom, two bathroom house. Kyo had no idea why Mr. Randall had found him a house with three bedrooms, and Kyo had no idea how he was supposed to pay for the rent, but Mr. Randall told him not to worry about that, so Kyo didn't think about it.

He walked inside the green house and looked around. It had smooth, hard wood floors, plain white walls, and nice tan carpet in the bedrooms. The moving truck had apparently already been by the house because all of the boxes were already inside the house in their designated areas (except for the things for Kyo's room, which were sitting in the hallway, waiting to be placed in one of the rooms) and the furniture was placed in the appropriate rooms. The only thing left to do was arrange the rooms to Kyo's liking.

Kyo decided to chose and arrange his room first. He walked down the hallway, looking in each room, wondering which one would best suit him. His first choice was the master bedroom, which had a bathroom connected to it. But when he looked into it, there were already boxes in it. **Oh well. I'll use one of the other rooms**, Kyo thought. He had already chosen the second largest room and had decided that the other room would be an office, when it hit him. **Wait a minute... If my stuff isn't in the master bedroom, then who's...** He walked back to the master bedroom and examined the boxes and furniture in the room more closely. One of the boxes was labeled 'Tani's Books'. All of the other boxes were labeled 'Tani' and then what the box contained. **Why is Tani's stuff in my house?** Kyo wondered. **Maybe the moving truck accidentally dropped her stuff off at my house. But then why would her stuff be in one of the rooms instead of in the hallway like my stuff is?**

Just then, Kyo heard a car pull up in the driveway. He quickly got out of Tani's room and went back to his own. There, he began to take his things out of their boxes. The front door opened and Kyo heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Tani walked to his open doorway and stopped.

"I see your found the house, Kyo," Tani commented, leaning on the door pane. She took her purple sunglasses off of her face and placed them on her head with her free hand. The other hand contained a bottle of soda. She had obviously found the house first, moved her stuff into the master bedroom, and then went to get something to drink while she waited for Kyo to arrive.

"Yeah..." Kyo responded. "No offence, but I thought this was my house," Kyo said, setting down a shirt he was holding.

"Koji didn't tell you?" Tani asked, furrowing her brow in slight confusion.

"What was Koji supposed to tell me?" Kyo questioned, hoping that she would explain.

"Well, he could only find one apartment for rent in the area, that went to Juro since he's not the most sociable person in the world, and there weren't any houses small enough for just one person. So he found a house with enough room for two, and made us roommates," Tani explained.

"So that clears up what your stuff is doing in the master bedroom," Kyo said, picking up the shirt he'd set down earlier and hanging it in his closet.

"Did you want the master bedroom, Kyo?" Tani asked in a playful voice.

"Kinda," Kyo responded.

"Well, I guess..." Tani began, indicating that she might change her mind about the room. She suddenly changed her tone. "First come, first serve, Kyo. The master bedroom is mine," she said, dashing Kyo's hopes for the room. She smiled and walked to her own room to unpack her things. Kyo rolled his eyes and chuckled slightly as she walked off.** This is going to be an interesting experience**, Kyo thought.

Over the next few weeks, Tani and Kyo set up the house. They argued about everything. The two couldn't agree on which shelf to but the canned food in, what side of the room the T.V. should go on, who got which side of the office, where the kitchen table should go. Whatever it was, Tani and Kyo fought over it.

"No, the couch looks better over here," Tani said, dragging the couch to the location of her choice.

"Why there? That just makes the room look weird. Put it back where I had it," Kyo complained, trying to pull the couch back from Tani. But the woman was strong, and Kyo couldn't move the sofa with her objecting on to the other end.

"Kyo, I like the couch here," Tani begged.

"I don't care. I want it over there," Kyo responded, still trying to move the couch.

"But you got to organize the kitchen," Tani pleaded pathetically. "Just let me arrange the living room. I'll even let you set up your half of the office first and I won't change anything after you're done."

"You're pathetic, you know that?" Kyo asked, giving up. "Alright. You can arrange the living room. But if it looks like something out of a hippie movie, I'm changing it." He then walked to the office area, where he went to work positioning his desk and placing his necessities on it. He had difficulty moving the desk, as it was solid oak, but he managed.

After he had finally arranged his half of the office to his liking, Tani came over to see his progress. "Kyo, I'm done with the living ro- What have you done to the office?" she asked.

"I arranged it how I wanted," Kyo explained. "You said I could, and you said you wouldn't change anything once I was done. Now, I am going to unpack my books. You can arrange your half of the office, just as long as you don't touch anything on my half." And with that, Kyo walked to his room, leaving Tani to the room.

Kyo didn't have a large supply of books to unpack, so he finished doing that before Tani finished organizing her part of the office. He went to go look at the living room, to see what the hippie had done with it. As Kyo passed the office, he heard Tani's cries of frustration. She was having a difficult time moving her desk in around Kyo's things. Kyo continued down the hallway to the living room, chuckling slightly. He expected to find it like Tani's room was: full of peace signs and lava lamps. But it looked like a normal living room. It had a couch against the wall facing a T.V. against the opposite wall. Several chairs were on the sides. Tani had even placed a nice patterned rug under the coffee table in the center of the room. **She didn't do a bad job**, Kyo thought, admiring the newly arranged room. He walked to the office.

"You did a good job with the living room," Kyo said. Tani looked up from attempting to move her desk.

"Told you I could make it look good," Tani said, somewhat out of breath. She again started to move her desk with great difficulty.

Kyo realized that if he didn't help her set things up, she would be in the office for quite some time. "Here, let me help you move that," Kyo said, walking over to one side of the desk and lifting. Tani grabbed the other end and lifted as well. Together, they moved the desk to where Tani wanted it to be.

She let out an accomplished sigh when the desk was properly positioned. "Now I have to set up my computer," she said, walking over to one of her boxes. She realized that Kyo was still in the room. "I've got it from here, but thanks. I would have been here forever if you hadn't helped me," she told him, but keeping her eyes on her computer.

"No problem," Kyo replied, walking to his room. It was already messy. He had clothing on the floor and his bed was a wreck. Kyo decided to clean his room to get his mind off of Tani. Lately she had been on his mind a lot. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. He wasn't sure if he liked her as more than a friend or not. Kyo had tried not to think about Tani because he felt like he was betraying Tohru when he did so. **But Tohru is with Yuki. It's okay if you see other women. You _need _to see other women**, a nagging voice in the back of Kyo's mind kept telling him.

Kyo loved Tohru, he knew that was true. But he was still unsure of his feelings for his new roommate. **It's okay if you see other women**, the voice told him again. He shook his head to clear it of the thought. He still felt like he was betraying Tohru. He began to pick up his dirty laundry and place them in the clothes hamper.

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

Aria's Star: I can always count on you to be my first reviewer. You always have nothing but good things to say, so thank you very much.

ILOVEInuyasha07: It's Tohru, so yeah, she forgot. I wondered how many people would wonder about that, but most of them just figured it was typical Tohru to do so.

KittySand Katie: I agree. And I couldn't resist putting Kagura in at that part. I had fun writing that section because Kagura is just so crazy.

Karen: I am so happy that you are such a "dedicated fan"! lol. Thank you for always reviewing.

Kinokegurl: Another reviewer! Yay! I'm glad you liked my story and keep on reviewing!

EAESW(that is so much easier to type, so I'm going to call you that): Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad I have another fan! I'm becoming quite popular(okay, I'm exaggerating again)

BeautifulOblivion: Really long review... Anyways. Thank you for complimenting my grammar. It is a pet peeve of mine as well and I won't read a story if it has too many. I'm glad you chose my fic to read! I am so honoured! And as for your question, if you read the summary, it says that the curse is broken, so they wouldn't turn into animals. But Kyo and Yuki were so used to insulting each other with the other person's animal in the insult that they called each other the rat and the cat and they had to correct each other. Wow, that was a really long sentence. Anyways, I couldn't think of a way to break the curse, so I said it was already broken. I hope that I cleared up any questions you had in my really long answer.

RayxJade: (Gasp! You reviewed twice! But it was for two different chapters, so that's okay) Glad you like it! I agree, they make such a kawaii couple!

Carissa Kho: I'm glad you like my story! I really am becoming popular. I love seeing that I have at least one new reviewer for each chapter I write.

MacDuffyGirl: Don't worry, he will get better. And that is such a lovely quote! No wonder that author felt better. I'm glad you like my story, and I'll try not to push myself.

Melody: Tohru is, well, Tohru. She doesn't remember things too well. She will remember eventually, don't you worry.

Fallen Angel: I know you would have reviewed if you had been home and instead of Roseburg. So I'll write this little thing to commemorate you.


	6. The Visit

Author's Note: Chapter 7 might be a while because I have a bad case of writer's block. I will finish it, it just might take a bit longer than the 3 days I gave myself. Maybe 5... Anyways, if you would like to be notified of when Chapter 7 is up, leave your email in your review (and if you're a member of FF, you can use their handy dandy alert system, if you're not doing so already, and put my story on your alerts list).

Chapter 6

Kyo knocked a few times on the door of the house that Shigure had given him the address to. It was the second week in May, and he was on his vacation from work, visiting his family. Mr. Randall had hired a sub to take Kyo's place while he was gone. Kyo hadn't gone on vacation the first week in May because he wanted to make sure that his replacement could handle his class.

His class could get... well... a little misbehaved at times. Since it was compiled of students who were almost at black-belt level, the students were very skilled and it was mostly older students. But a few of the students were fairly young. These were the students who's parents enrolled them when they were four or so. The younger students would always provoke the older students, and even though most of the older students knew how to stay in control, some didn't. If the right student was provoked, a fight broke out. Kyo had stayed behind a week to see if his replacement could break up the fight. The replacement did a pretty good job, although he had a hard time with Michael. Michael was a very talented, yet very obnoxious, student. He always annoyed Brett, a student with a short fuse who had a hard time controlling his temper, and the two would constantly begin to spar each other. Kyo had found himself helping his replacement once or twice during his observation week to control the two boys. But eventually, when Kyo decided that his replacement had it down, he left to visit his family like he promised he would.

He was now waiting on Tohru's and Yuki's doorstep, waiting for someone to answer. He had visited Shigure, Hatori, and Ayame when they were all at the author's house the day before and had gotten everyone's addresses from the three men.

He heard scurrying on the other side of the door as he waited. It reminded him of Michelle when she'd hid his key, though he doubted that Tohru would be hiding keys from him. Eventually, the door opened, and Tohru stood in her cleaning clothes holding onto the hand of a screaming Samantha.

"Kyo!" she said happily. She ushered him inside. He followed her gesture and stepped into the house.

"What happened to Sam?" Kyo asked, concerned for the little girl.

"Oh, she tripped and scrapped her knee. She did it just seconds before you knocked, so I was in the bathroom fixing her knee. Sorry it took a while for me to get to the door," Tohru apologized.

"That's fine, no need to say you're sorry," Kyo explained. He looked around the house. It was clean, except for a small area in the living room that was obviously Samantha's play area as there were several toys scattered about.

"Why don't you come and sit down in the living room," Tohru said, gesturing for him to go through the doorway. He did as he was told and sat down on a cerulean couch. "So how are you, Kyo? I haven't seen you in a year!" Tohru exclaimed, once she had settled Samantha in the play area.

"I'm great. I'm renting a nice house, have an awesome roommate, and my job is going good, too," Kyo told Tohru. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but she remained silent. Kyo took a pause to see if she was going to say anything, and when she didn't, he continued. "Yeah, Mr. Randall couldn't find a house for one of the other teachers, Tani Hurotomi, so he made her my roommate. We each pay half of the rent. And over the year, we have become... well... a little more that friends," Kyo hinted. He gave a slight smile, trying to convince himself that he wasn't betraying Tohru by saying it.

"That's great that you found a girlfriend, Kyo," Tohru said. Kyo noticed that Samantha had stopped building with her blocks and was now listening to his and Tohru's conversation. The little girl kept her eyes on her mom, glancing occasionally at Kyo.

"Well, I haven't asked her yet, but we've discussed it. I'm going to ask her when I get back," Kyo explained. "Enough about me, tell me about you. How have you been?"

"Oh, just busy. In between work, taking care of Samantha, and keeping the house clean, I am quite busy most of the time," Tohru answered. "Not to mention that I have to do the shopping."

"Why doesn't Yuki help?" Kyo asked. He knew that Tohru didn't trust Yuki with the cleaning, and he knew very well that Yuki couldn't do Tohru's job for her, but he could at least help take care of his own child.

"He's been off on business trips, lately. He recently got promoted at work, and he has to do the traveling for his company," Tohru said, somewhat glumly. "But I don't mind. I manage since Sam has the daycare center I can take her to when I need to.

There was a silence in which Kyo wondered what he could say to make Tohru feel better about the situation, but before Kyo could say anything, the phone rang.

"Excuse me," Tohru said, getting up and answering the phone. "Hello?... Oh, hi Jina... What?... No, that's okay... No, I'll find another sitter...Really, I'll manage... Thanks anyways... Bye." With that, she hung up and walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch looking stressed.

"What was that about?" Kyo asked.

"Oh, the owner of the daycare center, Jina, canceled on me for Tuesday. Now I need to find another one, or skip work. But I can't very well do that as I have to grade finals that day," Tohru explained sadly. "I guess I just have to find another one."

"Why don't I watch Sam on Tuesday?" Kyo offered. He wasn't visiting anybody that day, so he wouldn't have had anything to do anyways.

"Would you?" Tohru practically begged. He nodded and she jumped up and hugged him.

"It's no big deal, really," Kyo said, trying to pry Tohru off of his neck as he was having some difficulty breathing.

"Oh, but it is," Tohru responded, sitting back down on the couch. "There is no way I would have found another babysitter by Tuesday. Thank you so much, Kyo. How can I repay you?"

"You don't have to," Kyo told her. "The only time I've spent time with Sam was that time when you hit me with your purse for doing so. And you need the break."

"Thank you again, Kyo," Tohru said. The two then began to converse about work, food prices, and random things about life. Before they knew it, three hours had passed. Kyo had said that he would visit Haru and Momiji today, as well, so he had to leave.

"See you Tuesday, then, Tohru," Kyo said as stepped out of the house. Tohru and Samantha were standing in the doorway, letting their guest out.

"Yes," Tohru responded. "At seven in the morning, if you can." Again, she looked like she wanted to tell him something, but she didn't.

Kyo knelt down so he was closer to Samantha's height. "I'll see you Tuesday as well. We're going to have lot's of fun, aren't we?" he asked the little girl. She nodded with a smile. Kyo then stood up, gave a final wave, and left Tohru's home.

On Tuesday morning, Kyo got up from his hotel bed at 6:00am. He showered, dressed in comfortable clothes, and rode the bus to Tohru's house. Once on her doorstep, Kyo knocked three times. The door opened and in the doorway was Yuki.

"Kyo," Yuki said, sounding somewhat surprised to see him.

"Yuki," Kyo responded. He stood on the door step, waiting for an offer to be let in.

"What are you doing here?" Yuki asked.

"I'm here to babysit Samantha," Kyo explained. **Didn't Tohru tell him?** Kyo asked himself.

"Oh. Jina must have canceled," Yuki said to himself. "Anyways, come in Kyo. Tohru is getting ready, and I was just about to leave for work. Samantha is sleeping, but I'm sure Tohru will wake her for you before she leaves." He then walked off towards the garage, where Kyo heard him start a car and drive away.

Kyo was left standing in the middle of the living room. He waited patiently for Tohru to come in, but he grew tired of being on his feet so he sat down in a rocking chair.

Tohru soon came out of her bedroom and saw Kyo sitting in the chair waiting for her. "Oh, Kyo, how long have you been waiting?" she asked sympathetically.

"Only five minutes or so. Yuki let me in," Kyo explained. "Is Sam still sleeping?"

"Yes," Tohru answered. "Speaking of which, I need to wake her up." She then walked back down the hall, and returned with a still sleepy-looking Samantha.

"Hey Sam," Kyo said pleasantly. She waved to him with one hand while she rubbed her eyes with the other.

Tohru bent down. "Sam, Mommy has to go to work, and Kyo is going to watch you until I get home. Is that okay?" Samantha nodded. "I'll see you later then, Sam." Tohru then walked out the front door, leaving Kyo alone with the five year old.

"You want breakfast, Sam?" Kyo asked her.

"Yes," she said. Her face then took on a thinking position as she pondered what to eat. She nodded when she had come to a decision. "I want waffles."

"Can do." Kyo walked over to the refrigerator and opened the freezer part of the machine. As he had expected, there was a package of toaster waffles inside. He took out the box, removed two waffles, replaced the box in the freezer, and stuck the waffles in the toaster. When they popped up, he set them on a plate and handed it to Samantha.

"What about the syrup?" she asked.

"Right," Kyo said, getting out the bottle of syrup.

After breakfast was finished and Kyo had cleaned up Samantha's syrup mess, she had asked to go to the park. They had found a swing and Kyo was pushing Samantha on it. She was telling him of the importance of flowers as he pushed her.

"Flowers are very pretty Kyo, and if you're ever sad, just look at one. Almost any kind will work. They remind you that no matter how bad the world seems, there will always be something good about it, something beautiful in the world that will make it better," Samantha explained.

"Wise words for such a small girl," Kyo replied.

"I thought that you might need to hear that. Mommy did after the last time you two saw each other. She was very sad when she remembered what you were talking about," Samantha said. Kyo stopped pushing the swing.

"What?" Kyo asked. **She remembered**, Kyo thought.

"Yeah. Mommy told me about it when I asked her what was wrong. She told me about how you left," Samantha responded. "I felt sorry for Mommy. You didn't let her explain what happened."

"What exactly did your mother tell you, Sam?" Kyo questioned.

"She said that right before you said you loved her, Daddy pulled her aside and said that _he_ loved her. She had no idea that you were going to say the same thing, so she said she felt the same way," Samantha explained. "Then when _you_ told her, she had to say no because she had already said yes to Daddy. You got mad and left without letting her tell you what happened. Mommy knew that you were mad at her, so she left you alone and went with Daddy, even though she wanted to go with you." The little girl looked up at Kyo.

He felt horrible. It wasn't Tohru's fault that him and her weren't together. It was his. Kyo hadn't let her explain. He had only taken off in a huff. If he had only listened to her, then maybe, just maybe, the two would be together now. "All this time, and I never knew," he said quietly to himself.

"Mommy and Daddy have been fighting a lot lately because of this, too," Samantha continued. "Daddy overheard Mommy telling me this and he got upset. They don't yell or anything, but I can tell they're mad at each other because of the tone in their voices. And when they go into the kitchen to talk about grown-up things, I know Daddy and Mommy are trying to fix things. They do a pretty good job because they don't talk about it for a long time. Until Mommy breaks down, and they have to talk about it again." Kyo could tell it was difficult for Samantha to be talking about her parent's fighting, but he was glad that she was telling him this. "They think I don't know what's going on. They think they hide that they fight. But I know what's happening. Ever since Mommy told me that story, I put it together that they were fighting about you."

"Thank you for telling me this, Sam," Kyo said, pulling the little girl into a hug. **She is a very smart child to have figured this all out**, Kyo thought. **She is also a very strong child to have dealt with it by herself for this long.** Neither of them felt like playing outside after that, so they walked back to the house. There, they watched movies, played board games, and read stories until Tohru came home.

"I see my house is still in order," Tohru said, walking in the front door.

"Mommy!" Samantha said, jumping up from the couch and running to her mother.

"Hey, Sammie. How was your day with Kyo?" Tohru asked, catching her running daughter in a hug.

"We had lots of fun! Can Kyo babysit me again tomorrow?" Samantha asked.

"Afraid not, Sam," Kyo said. "I leave on the plane back to my house tomorrow." The little girl was sad for a few moments, but quickly got over it when Tohru told her that she was going back to Jina the next day. "Well, I have to be going. Checkout is at noon tomorrow, and I have to clean up my hotel room. See you." He headed for the door.

"Wait, Kyo," Tohru said, grabbing onto his hand. He remembered what happened the last time he hadn't waited for her to talk and he instantly stopped walking.

"What?" Kyo asked.

"I have to tell you something. I remem-" she began. But Kyo had put his finger up to her lips to silence her before she could finish.

"You don't have to tell me," he said quietly. "Samantha explained."

"So you know what really happened?" Tohru said, on the verge of tears. Kyo nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you," Kyo said, beginning to cry himself. He engulfed her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him back.

"I should have told you before you left five years ago," Tohru whispered. " But I didn't. I wanted to call you and tell you, but I got so wrapped up in things with Yuki that I eventually forgot about you and tried to move on. When I saw you again last year, it all came back after you reminded me." She buried her face into Kyo's jacket. When she continued, it was difficult to make out her muffled words. "Then I tried to talk about it with Yuki, but I didn't want to hurt him. So I told Sam and he overheard. We've been fighting a lot ever since."

As the two stood in each other's embrace, Kyo heard a car pull into the driveway. He knew it had to be Yuki. Samantha realized this, too, and went to greet him. Kyo pulled out of the hug, not wanting to get Tohru into any more trouble than she already was with Yuki. "Tohru, talk to Yuki again. I'm happy that we both know what happened in the past, but that's just it. It happened in the past. We have both found a new person and we both need to pay attention to that other person. No matter how hard that may be," Kyo said, kissing her on the forehead andwalking towards the door. It pained him to say those things to Tohru, but he didn't want Samantha to be put in the middle of a divorce. Kyo left out the front door just as Yuki and Samantha walked into the living room.

As he walked away, he could hear conversation coming through an open window. "I knew that having Kyo babysit wasn't good for you, Tohru," Yuki was saying. "I had a feeling you would have another breakdown andI was right. Do we need to talk about it?"

"Yes," Kyo heard Tohru's shaky voice say.

**You did the right thing.** **It's best for everyone if it's this way**, Kyo told himself. But another voice, the nagging voice in the back of Kyo's mind told him,** It's good for everyone. Everyone but you and Tohru.**

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

Fa11en Ange1: I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for reviewing!

Unchained3011: I like Tani as well. And I am flattered by your compliment. Thank you for reviewing, and don't worry yourself about the pairings. Everything will be resolved in the end.

KittySand Katie: Kyo does date Tani, but this is still a Kyoru fic, mind you. I will fix everything in the end. And I have to say, you are one of my favorite reviewers. You continue to leave a very nice review. You're always complimenting me for something and giving me something to laugh at as well. Thank you, and keep on reviewing.

Karen: (You reviewed twice for the same chapter! Don't ask why that's such a big deal, it just is) Only time will tell... But it's a very distinct possibility. As I said in this chapter, he is planning on asking her out soon. Need not to worry, though. This is a Kyoru. But that doesn't mean Kyo can't have other relations on his way. I mean, I don't want him to be lonely and depressed through the better part of my fic, do I? Okay, I do, but that is only when I'm in a bad mood, and I try not to write then because I take all my anger out on my main character, and then I end up causing an irreversible mess. And then I have to erase what I wrote and write a whole new thing. The whole process is very complicated. Anyways, thanks for reviewing!

Aria's Star: That is fine with me, as long as you do review. Very good advice. I was thinking of doing that, but when I wrote it, it sounded icky. So I rewrote it like I had it and I liked that version better. But I will use that advice later (I used it in this chapter, see?)

RayxJade: Don't worry. They will end up in the end (I won't tell you how or when, because that would give away the ending). And in Kyo's mind, since Tohru is seeing someone else, he can too, until they get together anyways. Just trust me.

ILOVEInuyasha07: He will go with Tani, although I can't guarantee that Tohru won't cause a bit of a disturbance in their relationship (not intentionally of course, Tohru wouldn't do that!). Things will work out in the end.

Tywell: Yay! Another reviewer! I'm glad you like my story.

Fallen Angel: I have two reviewers with that name. I really have no idea how I come up with the characters. People just pop into my head when I get a name, I describe that person, and boom! I have a character. I guess I could describe it as imagination, but that just doesn't sound right to me. Oh well. A mystery...

PTDM (easier to type, I think): I'm not going to be that evil to him. I'm glad you like my story enough to put it in your favourites and thanks for reviewing!


	7. The Date

Author's Note: I found the sushi names on the internet, but I wasn't sure if I was aloud to remove the zushi (You'll see later. I meant zushi, not sushi.) part or not. So I did after I put it in originally and if I'm supposed to keep the zushi part, oh well, because I can't change it now. But if you are an all knowing sushi guru and you would like to tell me off about it (Please don't!), you can do so in a review. I will thank you for your constructive criticism unless it's a flame. But remember, I wasn't sure, so there really is no reason to give me a flame. Anyways, on with Chapter 7!

Chapter 7

It was a few days after Kyo had gotten back from his family visit. He was sitting in his living room, reading a magazine. It was one of Tani's magazines, and he was only reading it because it had an article about dating tips. Kyo was ready to ask Tani out, yet he was unsure of how to go about doing so. He wanted the occasion to be memorable, so he was reading the article to give himself advice. Kyo was very disappointed when it didn't have specific ways of asking out a girl, but different types of ways to ask out a girl. It said you could take the casual course, which was to ask the girl in the middle of the conversation. Or you could take the private way, where you separated you and the girl from the crowd for alone time, and ask her then. And the last option was the romantic setting, where you create a setting that is romantic for both you and the girl you are asking. You ask her while both of you are 'in the mood.' The last section of the article said that even if you use the article for help, nothing beats just asking when you think it's right.

Kyo closed the magazine, not getting anything he could use from it. He knew that he would never use the private way. Not again, anyways. After the way the last time went, he didn't want to risk it. Kyo knew for a fact that Tani didn't like romantic, so that option wasn't available to him either. The only one out of the ones listed that would work for him was the casual, but Kyo didn't think that he would work up the courage to ask her in the middle of a conversation. He decided that he would just use the last option, if it ever happened.

As Kyo was about to set the magazine down on the coffee table, Tani walked into the living room. She gave him a bewildered look as she saw the magazine in Kyo's hand. He immediately dropped the magazine and looked at Tani as if he were a deer caught in headlights. She then raised one eyebrow at him and tilted her head. "What were you doing with that?"

"Just... um... just looking at it," Kyo answered slowly.

"Why?" Tani asked confused.

Kyo sighed. "It had an interesting article in it," Kyo explained. He looked at her, wondering if she would buy it.

She didn't. "And which article would that be?" Tani questioned. She raised her eyebrow at him again.

Kyo knew that if he told her that he was reading a dating article, she would get suspicious and ask who the girl was. **If I tell her a different article, she'll most likely leave me alone**, Kyo thought. **But it has to be embarrassing, otherwise she won't buy it after the scene I just put up over it.** "I was reading... the horoscopes," Kyo lied. He knew that Tani didn't believe in horoscopes, and it would make sense if he didn't want to tell her for that reason.

She gave him a suspicious look, but she took it. "You actually believe those things?" she asked, shaking her head at him.

"Yeah, I always read them. I'm a Capricorn," Kyo said, completing his lie.

"Well, I think they're a load of rubbish," Tani explained, sitting down on the couch next to him. "All they are, are a bunch of made up predictions of the future. The people who wrote it are only writing them with hopes that it will apply to at least one person out there. And the other people who believe in them will sit around waiting for their horoscope to come true. When it doesn't, they get mad. It annoys me."

"That's why I didn't tell you," Kyo responded when he was sure she was finished ranting. He stretched and put his arm around her shoulders. She rolled her eyes at both his comment and his arm gesture. Tani knew that Kyo liked her, and he knew that she liked him, but she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to be involved in a relationship just yet. But that didn't stop her from being close to him. Tani still let him do things like put his arm around her shoulders without her feeling uncomfortable.

"Why don't we go get something to eat?" Tani asked, looking up at him from her spot under his arm. "There isn't anything here to eat, so we should go to a restaurant. On me."

"Sure," Kyo replied, standing up. Tani followed suit, standing up and getting her jacket from the closet. She handed Kyo his and, after getting their shoes on, the two walked to a sushi place a few blocks away from their house.

Tani ordered inari-zushi, as she was a vegetarian and the dish was made with tofu instead of fish. Kyo simply said, "Omakase," which translates to "Chef's Choice." When they got their food, Kyo ending up with nigiri-zushi, they sat down and began to converse about work.

"Miles won't leave me alone," Tani was explaining. "He is under the impression that you and me are dating, and he constantly asks how our relationship is going."

"Yeah, Katsuro does the same to me," Kyo responded. "He always asks if I've asked to date you yet. When I tell him no, he tells me to hurry up and asks me again the next day." Kyo took a bite of his nigiri and continued. "Sometimes I want to tell him to shut up, but I have to remain in control of my temper while I'm at the dojo so I set an example for the students."

"Speaking of the students, mine are keen on our relationship, as well," Tani said. "Whenever you come over to talk to me after your class lets out, a few of the girls I instruct all chorus, 'Ooh! Hurotomi has a boyfriend!' When they do this, I wish I could just fail them." She let out a frustrated groan, stabbing her inari with her chopsticks.

Kyo laughed at her overreaction to the situation. This was the reason he hadn't asked her yet. He knew that she was insecure about how the other people at their work would react. "A few of my boys are like that, too. Though they tend to be a little more... well... perverted when they are. One boy in particular acts just like my cousin, Shigure. You know the one. He's the pervert I told you about. Anyways, this boy always asks me if I 'scored' with you the night before. I then walk off rather than say anything, but it disturbs me that he even thinks about it when he's only 14."

The two finished their dinners and got up to leave. Tani tried to pay the bill like she said she would, but Kyo insisted that he pay for his own meal. They eventually left the restaurant.

"Yeah, it seems like everyone at work thinks we're dating," Tani said as the two walked home. There was a pause in which the two just walked in silence.

Kyo broke it. "So... why aren't we?" He stopped walking and looked up to lock eyes with Tani. He remembered how the magazine had said to ask when you felt it was right. Kyo had thought that was the perfect moment to ask her. She stopped, mid-step, realizing he had stopped walking and dumbfounded by the question.

She could only stare at him. He was completely serious. "Excuse me?" she asked, dumbly. Tani was so shocked by his sudden statement that she couldn't give him an answer. She only sat there like an idiot because she didn't know how to respond.

"Why aren't we? Going out, I mean..." Kyo said quietly. He could tell she was unsure, and he almost regretted asking her, but he was glad he had. Kyo found that it felt better to get it off of his chest rather than keep it inside that he wanted more than a friendship with Tani.

"I don't know why..." Tani responded, looking away and staring at the starry night. In truth, she knew exactly why they weren't. Tani knew that Kyo had been previously involved and that he still harbored feelings for Tohru. Plus, he had come back from his trip somewhat glum. She knew the depression had something to do with Tohru and that made her even more uncertain about starting a relationship with him. But he had asked her, which proved that he was finally over his thing with Torhu and that he liked Tani enough to start a closer relationship with her. She returned her gaze to him and stepped closer so they were right next to each other. "...But I want to," she whispered.

Smiling, Kyo pulled her into a hug. "Me too," he breathed. There was a tingling sensation running up Tani's spine as Kyo tilted her head towards his with his finger. He gently placed his lips against hers and Tani accepted it, kissing him back. She put her arms around his neck and he placed his hands behind her back. They stood like that for several moments, enjoying the passionate kiss, before Tani pulled away.

"We should really be getting home," Tani said, not wanting to have broken the kiss, yet not wanting to stand outside all night.

"You're right," Kyo answered, kissing her swiftly before beginning to walk home with Tani, his fingers laced with hers.

At work a few weeks later, Kyo gave his students the start command and walked off, giving them a non-scored practice session. Some of his students took advantage of this and didn't practice. Instead, they went over to the side to talk and watch the other students. Kyo didn't care. He'd told them to do what they wanted and had suggested practicing as there was a tournament coming up soon, and if they didn't want the opportunity to practice, that was their choice. It just showed him which of his students were actually dedicated to learning martial arts. Those were the students he would take to the tournament. Kyo made a mental note of who practiced and who didn't as he walked over to where Tani was training her students.

Katsuro and Miles, who were getting ready to leave as they taught the hour before Tani and Kyo did, walked up behind Kyo and tapped him on the shoulder. They had been trying to bother him about his personal life for the past week, but he had evaded all of their attempts, until now.

"What?" Kyo asked as he turned around to face them.

"Where you headed?" Miles prodded. He gave Kyo a suspicious look. "Going over to see Tani?"

"Yep," Kyo responded simply. He attempted to begin walking again, but Katsuro stopped him.

"You ask her out yet?" Katsuro asked.

"Why must you two always pry into mine and Tani's personal life?" Kyo asked. "You don't see either of us walking up to you and ask how your relationships are going."

"Well, that's because we're both married, Kyo," Miles explained. "Our love life isn't as interesting as a single man's."

"And you still haven't answered my question," Katsuro commented.

"Yep," Kyo replied. He began to walk off, not letting them recapture him. It was none of their business if he'd asked Tani out or not, even though he had.

"So was that the answer to my question, or were you saying you hadn't answered my question yet?" Katsuro called after him.

"Both," Kyo said back to him. He stopped, trying to hear their reactions.

Katsuro and Miles grinned at each other. "Told you he'd ask her out," Miles said knowledgeably.

"I knew he would, too," Katsuro replied. "It was all a matter of when." The man then pulled out a sheet of folded paper from his pocket. "Darn. Juro had this week."

"Ah, well. We'll pay him tomorrow," Miles replied. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home." The men then left for home, finally letting Kyo go speak to Tani.

Tani was sitting on a stool, watching her students train, when Kyo came up behind her and placed his hands over her eyes. "Guess who?" he asked playfully.

"Kyo," she replied, pulling his hands away from her eyes. "Don't you have students to watch?" she asked him as he repositioned his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Yeah, but I'm testing them," Kyo explained. "To see if they're dedicated to their training. And besides, I wanted to see you."

"I want to see you, too, Kyo. But I have _my_ students to watch," Tani explained. "I am actually watching my pupils like I'm supposed to. And we see each other at home, so I don't know why we have to see each other at work when we're supposed to be working."

"Fine," Kyo responded, defeated, and standing up. He gave her a swift kiss before walking back to his students. The half of his students that had sat down on the side when he'd left instantly stood up and tried to join the rest of the group but had trouble keeping synchronized. Kyo shook his head at his lazy pupils and gave them all a water break, even though only half of them needed one.

As Kyo watched his students relax, he realized that he was finally getting over Tohru. He felt that he had moved on by dating Tani. Kyo also knew that Tohru and Yuki probably had all of their problems solved and were the happy couple he'd seen before he'd moved to Nagasaki. He could only hope that both he and Tohru had moved into new relationships and could move on with their own lives. That didn't mean Kyo didn't care for Torhu anymore. He just wished that she was happy... because _he_ was. If Torhu wasn't happy, Kyo didn't want to have happiness without her feeling the same thing. For if that was the case, Kyo knew that he would be the source of her pain.

**Please be happy, Tohru**, Kyo thought as he started his students on their routine again. **I will always love you, but we have both moved on. I only wish happiness for you and Yuki, because I want you to be happy. Even if you can't be happy with me.**

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

Fallen Angel: I know. I hate it. I wish it would die. Yuki can, too. And aren't I already on your alerts list? So I don't think I have to tell you because they will send you a little email. But if you really want me to...

PTDM: I know how everything is going to turn out in the end. Don't worry. It's a good ending. Or I think it is, at least. I wish he hadn't, but it was part of my story, so he had to.

MacDuffyGirl: You will see in the end. I wish I could tell you, but that is a major spoiler as to how the story ends. Anyways, Yuki is only fighting with Tohru because it's Kyo who they are arguing over. Normally, Yuki wouldn't mind if another man told Tohru that he loved her because he'd know she didn't return the other man's feelings. But since it's Kyo the two are dealing with, it would make sense that Yuki would be defensive because he's not sure how Tohru feels about Kyo and he's being defensive.

KittySand Katie: Well, thank you for always giving me good reviews. And thank you for even more praise. I love Samantha and she was so fun to write. She is just so cute and sweet. And that _is_ how I tried to portray Tohru's life. In a good relationship at first, that goes bad all of a sudden. She then has to try to work through everything. I'm glad that you got that.

Karen: Yeah, I do have a lot of reviews. I know it was sad, but it was important to the story. I wish my fic could be one of those happy random fics that aren't sad. But my fic isn't like that and it has to have it's depressing points. And if it was one of those random stories, I wouldn't like it that much because that isn't my style. You know, I have found that I ramble in my responses to you and constantly get off track. Like I just did. Anyways, I will update when I can and I will always tell you guys when the story might not be updated for a while in an Author's Note at the top. Wow, I began to ramble again.

Unchained3011: I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I know several people who went through divorces and they tell me it's horrible. And a little perspective into the future of this story, Sam just might have to go through a divorce, despite Kyo's efforts to keep Torhu and Yuki together. Sorry, it's just how the story ends.

Escapade08: Another reviewer! Hoorah! Anyways, I'm glad you liked it! I wasn't that smart when I was little either. Lol. I will try to update regularly, but I can't guarantee that will happen all of the time.

KinokeGurl: I'm glad you read my story, too! Haru is one of my favorite characters, too (he is number 2). He has managed to come really close to a tie with Ayame in the list, but he beat out the snake. Haru is so mellow and blunt, which makes him funny. Ayame is just crazy and spontaneous, which makes him good for several laughs. But Kyo is still my favourite. He is pretty much the only sane Sohma, though he does have a slight temper, which gets in the way sometimes. But he is also sensitive and funny. Anyways, thanks for reviewing!

Felflowne: You are the second person to compliment my grammar. Thank you. It must actually be good, then. Anyways, I'll have at least 10 chapters, although I'm hoping to put out more. Thanks for reviewing!

Turante: Glad you liked it! I am trying to update at least twice a week, but that might not happen all of the time. Keep checking back to see if I've updated.

ILOVEInuyasha07: Yup. If only Kyo had asked her to come at 7:30, and not 8:00! Anyways, I have been trying to fit that information into several different places, but I finally found it's place.

Alicia: I'm glad you like it! Yes, Kyo is going with Tani, but it still is a Kyoru fic. No worries, it is still one and will end like one.

RayxJade: I know! Isn't Samantha adorable? Anyways, I hate moving. It's annoying. I'm glad you found a computer and read my story! It makes me feel special. lol.

Aria's Star: Yeah, I had the hardest time trying to fit that info in. I thought that Tohru wouldn't want to bring it up if she was fighting with Yuki about it, and Kyo really didn't want to bring up the subject and get hurt. So I had Samantha say it. I think it fit nicely. And as for what's going to happen, you have to read on and find out because I'm not going to give anybody any special treatment and tell them. The only think I have told anybody is that Kyo and Tohru do end up together. The question is, how and when?


	8. The Second Visit

Author's Note: I'm sorry Chapter 8 took a while. I guess I still had some of my writer's block from Chapter 7. Anyways, I thank you for being patient, and your reward for being patient is the 8th chapter of my story! Not much of a reward, but I can't think of anything else. I'm sorry... Plus, this chapter isn't long at all. You guys are probably pissed at me, now. But I didn't want to put any more than I wanted in this chapter into the chapter. And sorry to say, but the next chapter might not be too long either. But it will be longer than this one! Anyways, don't shoot me for having a short chapter, and on with Chapter 8!

Chapter 8

Kyo was once again on his annual visit home to his family. He was currently sitting in the kitchen of Shigure's home. Kyo had decided to change his visiting schedule, saving his visit to Tohru for last, to avoid the breakdown of last time, and so he could just leave if things got bad again. He had also changed one other thing with this visit. Kyo had brought Tani with him. He had thought that it would be the perfect opportunity for everyone to meet her.

But when Kyo had introduced Tani to Shigure, he instantly knew it wasn't the right time by the look the author gave him.

It was a subtle look, but Kyo still got the message. The look was approving, yet disproving at the same time. It said, "If you had only waited a little while longer..." Kyo wondered what Shigure had meant by that and was contemplating the many things the man could have meant as Shigure prepared tea.

The author poured each of them a cup of tea, glancing up at Tani and Kyo as if looking for something. As soon as Shigure had finished pouring, he handed out the cups and sat down.

"So, Kyo told me about you the last time he was here, Tani," Shigure said, beginning a conversation. "He said you were very beautiful. He wasn't lying." He laughed to himself.

"Thank you. He's told me a lot about you, as well," Tani responded, smiling sweetly. Kyo could tell that Tani was hiding her annoyance towards the man and couldn't help but smirk. He knew that if Shigure didn't keep off feminist subjects, he was in for it.

"What did he tell you of me?" Shigure asked, playfully.

"Well, he told me that you were a no good pervert," Tani said, maintaining the same sweet voice she'd had earlier. If you hadn't listened to the words, you would have thought what she'd said had been a compliment.

"Real-" Shigure began. He then realized what Tani had said. He turned to Kyo. "Now why would you tell her something like that?" he asked pathetically.

"Because it's completely and utterly true," Kyo explained.

"Aww, come now. You know I'm not a bad man," Shigure replied.

"I guess you're right," Kyo responded. "You're a terrible man."

Shigure sighed and shook his head. He knew he couldn't win and kept his mouth shut about the subject. Instead, he changed the topic to other matters. "So how have things been for you two in Nagasaki?"

"It's good. Although our colleagues could butt out of our personal lives a bit," Kyo said.

"Juro doesn't do anything, though," Tani said, defending the man.

"Not openly," Kyo said to her. "A few weeks after we started dating, Katsuro and Miles found out. As I walked away from them, I heard that they all had taken bets on when we would get together." Tani nodded, waiting for him to tell her what Juro had to do with it. "Turns out, _Juro_ won the bet."

"And I thought he was the only one who didn't pry," Tani replied, slightly disappointed.

"Well, they all do," Kyo responded. "And I bet Mr. Randall is the entire reason we're together. I mean, he conveniently made us roommates when I could have easily shared the house with Juro. I mean, Juro didn't _have_ to have his own apartment. And he also made our work hours the same. There is no way he would have done that without some ulterior motive."

"Then I guess I should thank Koji when we get back," Tani said, looking up at Kyo.

"I guess we should," Kyo replied, leaning over and kissing her softly. They heard a small cough and pulled away, remembering that Shigure was in the room.

"Sorry, Shigure," Tani apologized. There was a short silence in which they all sat awkwardly. In the midst of the quiet, Tani got up to excuse herself to the bathroom. Shigure pointed out the way, and she left the two men alone.

"She's very nice," Shigure said, looking at Kyo with interest.

Kyo looked at the man suspiciously. "What are you getting at?" he asked. "I know you didn't want me to bring Tani. Why?"

"What makes you think I didn't want you to bring her?"

"That look you gave me when I introduced her. And you kept on looking at us while you were pouring the tea like I had made a mistake," Kyo explained. "Why didn't you want me to bring her, Shigure?"

The author was quiet for a moment, the look on his face changing from that of playful to solemn. Shigure took a long sip of tea, and sat his cup down slowly, drawing out what he had to say. He looked straight into Kyo's eyes and said, "Yuki and Tohru are..." He didn't finish what he was saying.

"What?" Kyo asked impatiently. "What about Yuki and Tohru?"

"They are no longer together..." Shigure said, trailing off as to let the effect of his words sink in.

Kyo felt his stomach sink. **No...** He knew that they were only fighting in the first place because of him. **No...** Now they had officially called it quits, and he knew it was basically his fault. **No...**

"You okay, Kyo?" Shigure asked as his guest hung his head.

"It's my fault," Kyo muttered, keeping his head down. Shigure looked at him quizzically.

"How so?"

"They were only arguing in the first place because Tohru remembered what happened the day I decided to leave," Kyo explained, still not raising his head. "Yuki knew why she was unhappy, and no matter how hard he tried to fix things, I think that, deep down, Tohru didn't want things to be fixed. That's probably why they split up. Tohru didn't try to keep things together. Even though I told her to move on." When Kyo was done talking, he looked up to see Shigure's reaction to what he'd said.

The man was quiet for a little while. "I knew that you had something to do with this. That's why I figured it wasn't such a good thing to bring Tani along. If Tohru saw you with someone else before she was ready to, I don't think that would be the best thing for her. I mean, she divorced her husband for you."

Shigure's last sentence stung Kyo painfully. He brought his legs up and hugged them to his chest. He almost began to cry, but he remembered that Tani was still in the bathroom and would be returning shortly. So he held in his tears and placed his feet back on the ground just as Tani walked in and sat down again.

Kyo sat their, trying to keep his composure as Tani looked from her boyfriend to Shigure, wondering what they had talked about while she had been in the lavatory. She knew that it was something painful as Kyo, who had been in good spirits before she'd left, was now sitting stiffly, trying without success to look like he wasn't hurt.

"It's nothing, Tani," Shigure said, realizing that she was concerned for Kyo. "I just gave him some bad news, and he's having a little trouble digesting it."

"What's the bad news?" she asked, wanting to know what had caused Kyo harm.

Shigure looked to Kyo for an okay to tell Tani what was bothering him. Kyo gave a slight nod, and the author wasn't sure if he'd nodded or if it was shaking from strain, but he took it as a yes. "Has Kyo told you of Tohru Honda?"

Tani nodded. She knew how much Kyo had cared for the girl in mention, and wondered what had happened to turn him rigid like he was.

Shigure then explained to Tani about Tohru and Kyo's relationship up until Kyo's visit the year before. He explained the night Kyo confessed his feelings, and how Tohru had turned him down as she had already promised herself to Yuki. Shigure told of how Kyo left to avoid Tohru, and before leaving to Nagasaki, said that he still loved Tohru. He explained the fighting between Tohru and Yuki after Yuki found out Tohru still harbored feelings for Kyo. "This brings me to why he is upset." Shigure said, pausing and letting Tani take in the new info she'd learned about her boyfriend. "Miss Honda and Yuki have divorced."

"Why?" Tani asked.

"Because they were arguing about Kyo," Shigure said. "Yuki knew that Tohru had feelings for Kyo, and since Yuki was naturally competitive towards Kyo, Yuki was jealous of his wife's feelings. So, initially, despite his efforts to stop a divorce between Yuki and Tohru, Kyo caused the divorce. Kyo even told Tohru to move on and work things out with Yuki, but she didn't listen."

"I see..." Tani replied. She began to wonder if Kyo was upset because he caused the divorce. Or if it was because the woman he loved was now free, but he had someone binding him down. Tani really hoped it was the first one, but she suspected the second one. She loved Kyo, but she didn't want him to be unhappy because he couldn't have his first choice. Yet she didn't want him to leave her.

"Let's go," Kyo said quietly, standing up. "I promised other people I'd meet them today."

Shigure nodded, understanding what he meant. Tani stood up and followed him out the door. Kyo then showed Tani to Kazuma, Haru and Rin, and Kagura.

Haru and Rin (More so, Haru, who had to persuade Rin not to kick both of them out) welcomed both Kyo and Tani into their homes, and caught up on current times. Haru even got out a camera to 'commemorate that Kyo had been there.' Kagura seemed disappointed and disbelieving when Kyo introduced Tani. She almost attacked Kyo, but hit her own wall instead. Kazuma acted just like any father would around his son's new girlfriend. He gave questions (rather personal questions, at that) and tried to find out everything he could about Tani. Kyo enjoyed himself, as did Tani. She had gotten to meat Kyo's adoptive father, who shared some rather interesting stories of when Kyo was younger, and found him a very nice person.

But, throughout the entire time, Kyo acted as if nothing had happened at Shigure's house. Tani guessed it was to make sure people didn't worry about him. If this was how he was going to act around the other members of his family, she was very curious to see how Kyo was going to act around Tohru...

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

Fallen Angel: Yeah, that was fun. I am responding to my reviews at 1:00am, just now watching the tape you recorded for me (all of it), after staying up the entire night before. I don't think that's healthy...

Aria's Star: lol. I'm glad you like my story, and thank you for always reviewing. I no longer ask for reviews, and it makes me happy that I still have people who will review for every chapter.

KittySand Katie: So that's why Community Service hasn't been updated much (Great story by the way. Yes I read it. I quite enjoy it, even if I'm not a huge supporter of KB. Not a flame, just stating an opinion. I still love the story, and the KB isn't a bad couple the way you write it). Yup, the current pairing won't stay a couple, though. So you have nothing to worry about. Anyways, thanks for always reviewing.

Audley: Eek! I made a reviewer unhappy! Oh no! I am so sorry! Please, I beg your forgiveness! But, this is not the end of the story, and it will be a Kyoru in the end. I can't tell you how, but I can say that Kyo and Tani don't stay together. And I will get to the Kyoru. I just have to get to that part of the story. I wanted this story to be at least 10 chapters, so I had to have something get in the way. But need not worry any further, Audley, because I will fix it in the end.

Evilinupunk: You'll see in the end. Thank you for finding the time to read my story and for reviewing!

PTDM: Yeah, I didn't have much to say about that chapter, either. Personally, I thought I could have done it a little better than I did, but I couldn't think of any other way to say what I needed to. Anyways, thanks for reviewing, even if it was short.

Alicia: I'm glad you like it! Lately I have had some bad writer's block, so the chapters are coming rather slowly. Like once a week, and I feel bad for not updating as often as I used to. But I will continue on as long as I have reviewers!

Felflowne: Yeah, I know. Bad grammar is the worst. I blame my 7th grade block teacher. She would make you redo an assignment if you made one little mistake. Anyways, thanks for the compliment, and I'll be sure to try and update sooner than I have been.

Unchained3011: I just realized that you used to review under the name of Melody. I can't believe I didn't realize it before. All of the time, I would wait for my review from Melody, but it didn't come, and now I know that you got an account. Wow, I feel pretty stupid. Anyways, again I'm sorry your parents split. And you figured it out! Most people wouldn't get that she wasn't to comfortable in her relationship with Kyo. Glad you did!

Furubaluver: Glad you're so enthusiastic about it. You seem to really like my story, for which I am glad. Thanks for reviewing!

LilsHrImP tHinGy: Nope, it's not the end. At least a few more chapters. I wish I could write a longer story, but alas, I can't. Although I do have some other stories I'm working on...

Escapade08: Yup, I liked that part, although I wish I could have fine-tuned that chapter a bit more. Updating might take a while, and for that I am sorry, but writer's block is pulling me down. I'm glad that mine is one of your favourite stories. I'm so flattered!

Cassie: Thanks for the compliments. It was Kyo's cousin, so yeah it was Shigure Sohma.

Sushigurl: I'm glad you like it. I can't give away anything, because that wouldn't be fair to everyone else who's asked. All I can say is that they will end up together. I just can't tell you how. Samantha will handle it to the best of a 5 year old's ability. You will see how in the next chapter. And that is all I can say.

Karen: This is a Kyoru. It's okay. I have had several people give me outbursts like yours. But the fic isn't over. At least two more chapters. I hope for more, but I don't know how much I can write without dragging it on forever and making it boring. But I can guarantee you that by the end of the story, Kyo and Tohru will live happily ever after.

Deathwaitsfornoone: Yeah, well, I had to. If I had alternated between pupil and student, you would have told me I used _both_ words too much. And in some places, the word pupil just sounds funny. There is just no pleasing you. lol. Anyways, I think the initial idea for that 14 year old came from him, but I'm not sure.


	9. The Argument

Author's Note: I know you people probably hate me for not updating for a long time. But this time I have a good reason! And it's not writers block, surprisingly! It was the 6th Harry Potter book. All I did was read it the entire weekend it came out (Good book, by the way). I didn't have time to write or to get on the computer when I had my book. But I finished it, and I can dedicate my time to writing. Although I now have a trampoline, and my mom says if I don't use it, she'll take my computer away (She only bought it so I would quit hanging out on my computer all of the time). So I guess I'll have to take breaks from writing to go and jump on it, or there won't be any updates at all.

Author's Note 2: This is a very short chapter, for which I am sorry. I think the next chapter will be short as well. I could have combined them, but it just didn't seem to fit with having them in the same chapter. But now my story is going to be 12 chapters! I have had so many people begging me to make my story longer than 10 chapters, and now I have! But that means that I have two short chapters. Stupid short chapters!

Chapter 9

Kyo was watching an old anime with Tani in the hotel room they were staying in. It was the second to last day of Kyo's trip, and he had already visited everyone in his family except for Yuki and Tohru. He was dreading that visit the most. Kyo wasn't sure if he could take seeing either of them knowing that he'd caused their divorce.

He was also thinking about whether or not he should bring his girlfriend along on his trip to visit Tohru later that day. Kyo knew that Tohru would want to meet Tani, but what Shigure had told him kept on playing over and over again in his head...

"_...I figured it wasn't such a good thing to bring Tani along. If Tohru saw you with someone else before she was ready to, I don't think that would be the best thing for her. I mean, she divorced her husband for you..."_

"You know, that guys voice doesn't match his character," said Tani, who was lying with her head on Kyo's chest. She looked up when he didn't answer her. His eyes were glazed over in thought. "What're you thinking about?"

Kyo was snapped back to attention. "Oh, nothing." He sat for another moment, still deciding. Kyo would have to chose soon, because he was planning on leaving in about 10 minutes. **She can't come**, he thought. **I'll go alone. I think it would be more difficult if she came with me.** Kyo decided that was his final decision. She wouldn't come with him. He would see how Tohru was, and if Kyo thought she could handle it, he would introduce her to Tani. "Listen, Tani. Why don't you go to the mall today? You told me you wanted to go there before we left. I thought you could go while I went to see Tohru."

She gave him a suspicious look and sat up. "I thought we could go after we got back," she said. "I was planning on us going together."

"Well, I just think it would be better if it was only me visiting Tohru today," Kyo explained truthfully. He realized that if he just told Tani why, she would most likely accept it. "At least until I see how she's handling her divorce. If she's taking it well, I'll call you on your cell, and you can come over to meet her." He could tell Tani was unsure. "I just don't want Tohru to have a breakdown." Kyo then dropped his voice to a mutter. "She divorced Yuki because of me, and I'm not sure she'd be okay with me showing you to her."

"Okay, Kyo," Tani replied after a moment of silence. She stood up and grabbed Kyo's jacket for him. "I'll go to the mall. You may visit Tohru on your own."

"Thanks for understanding, Tani," Kyo said gratefully. He stood up and stepped towards her, tilting her head towards his and kissing her.

She pulled away after a short while and told him, "You should probably get going." He nodded. Kyo told Tani good-bye, accepted his jacket from her and left the hotel room and headed for Tohru and Yuki's home, or what Kyo knew to be Tohru and Yuki's home. He was positive it didn't belong to both of them, anymore. Kyo wished more than anything that Tohru had gotten the house, so that he wouldn't have to talk to Yuki to get Tohru's new address.

But luck wasn't with Kyo. When he knocked on the door, Yuki was the one who answered. And the former rat was not happy to see him.

"What are you doing here?" Yuki asked,with avoicefull ofmalice, after he opened the door.

"Visiting," Kyo replied calmly.

"Why?"

"I wanted to se my cousin," Kyo lied. **This is the only way I'll get Tohru's address.**

"Come in," Yuki responded in a false positive, disbelievingvoice. Kyo walked into the house. He noted that Yuki's home was a lot less tidy than it had been when Tohru had lived there. Kyo figured either Yuki was, as he was before Tohru had moved in with Shigure in high school, too lazy to clean or not feeling up to it after his recent divorce.

Kyo sat down on the same cerulean couch. **Looks like Yuki got everything in the house, too.** "So how have you been, cousin?"

Yuki didn't answer. "Would you like something to drink?" He was still forcing a kind voice towards Kyo. Kyo shook his head.

"You haven't answered my question," Kyo said after Yuki had sat down. "How have you been?"

Yuki instantly dropped the polite voice and glared at Kyo. "Shut up! You know how I've been!"

Kyo remained silent. He'd known that if he met up with Yuki, he would be scolded. Kyo decided that he would just let Yuki yell at him, and that it would be best to remain silent. It was soundless in the room for a moment.

"It's your fault," Yuki said quietly. Kyo looked down at the ground. Yuki raised his voice. "She only left me, because you had to remind her of that night!" Kyo glanced up quickly at Yuki to see that his eyes were filling with the beginning of tears. "We were happy until you did. If you hadn't..." Yuki trailed off and Kyo looked up again to see streaks of tears on Yuki's cheeks.

Kyo couldn't take being silent any longer. "I know you're mad at me-"

"Damn right, I am."

"-And you have every right to be. But you don't have the right to yell at me for it," Kyo told him sternly. "I told her to stay with you."

Yuki shook his head in disbelief. "No you didn't. I know you loved her, too. You wouldn't have told her to stay with me when it meant that you couldn't have her."

"But I did," Kyo said angrily.

"Why, then?" Yuki asked. "Why would you do that?"

Kyo was quiet for a moment. "Because I didn't want to put Samantha in the middle of it."

"What does Sam have to do with this?"

"She knew all along that you and Tohru were fighting," Kyo explained. "It upset her, and I knew that if you two split up, it would be horrible for Sam."

"She knew?" Yuki said to himself.

"Yeah. She's a lot smarter than either of you thought," Kyo replied. "I wanted Samantha to grow up in a complete family. I didn't want to see another Sohma's childhood ruined because of troubled parents."

"She could have had a complete family," said Yuki with a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. "I mean, if you would have taken Tohru a year ago, Sam could have had you as a father."

"Well, I thought that since Tohru and I were both with someone else, we could simplify things by keeping to those people," Kyo explained. "I thought that Tohru would have done something to fix her relationship. But I was wrong. She didn't want to fix it." Yuki's face was expressionless as Kyo told him these things. "She didn't try. She didn't want to try. She gave up. I thought she would have been strong, but she surrendered." Yuki didn't say anything, his face remained emotionless, but his eyes were welling up as Kyo spoke.

Kyo stood up and began to walk towards the door. He stopped as he was about to walk out and turned to look at Yuki, still sitting in a chair beyond the doorway. "Look. I'm sorry that I made her remember about me. That I can apologize for. But I can't apologize for her leaving you. I told her to stay, but she wasn't willing to. You can't blame me for that." He opened the door and walked out of the house.

**The only problem now is that I don't know where Tohru lives**, Kyo realized as he walked down the street. **I suppose I could look it up in the phone book...**

He walked up to the nearest phone booth and looked up Tohru's name in the long list of people. Luckily, the book was printed only a few months before, so it gave him her current address. Kyo placed the phone book back on the stand in the booth and continued walking, this time knowing where he was headed.

(Again, I am so sorry for such a short chapter! Please forgive me!)

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

MacDuffyGirl: lol. I find that funny. I have done that several times when something I want to happen in a fic does happen. Then my parents look at me funny and ask me what happened. I then explain the part I liked about the fic without explaining anything else. That only makes them question me further.

Cassie: Well, thank you for the wonderful compliment! I'm sorry your parents split. I don't think anybody should have to go through that. I try to update whenever I finish the editing for the story. I then go straight to FF and post it. So I go as fast as I can. Anyways, so many people have asked me how I come up with my ideas for my stories. I can never give them an answer because most of my ideas just pop into my head while I'm sitting on my couch, doing nothing. But the idea for this story came while I was watching the music video for Simple Plan's song, Addicted. I just thought to myself, "What if Kyo had to go through this?" Then I planned out the background info to the best I could and wrote the story. So it's safe to say that the easiest stories to write are song fics. Just listen to a song, and put whatever character you want into the singers position. The story basically writes itself. That's all the advice I have. Write a song fic if your just getting started. (Wow. That was a long reply.)

Soccergirl869: Yeah, I hate to put Kyo through torture, but it's for the sake of my art. I have no choice... Sorry, dramatic moment, there. Anyways. Yes, Tani is in a rather compromising situation, isn't she? But fear not, for all shall be well in the end.

Fallen Angel: Yeah, I should probably follow that advice. Although, I think I might have a hard time doing so as my sleeplessness is returning. Oh well.

InUyAsHaLuVaH91: Yes, Kyo is great. I love him, too! Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like the rest of my story!

Unchained3011: I'm glad you like it! I thought it would be useless to say you'll find out in the next chapter, since all of the answers were in this one. Thanks for reviewing!

Furubaluver: Yes, they're all pity-worthy. I don't know about Tani and Yuki getting together, but it's an interesting idea. Hmm... I'll have to think on that one. It could be a possibility.

Karen: I'm sorry! I wish I could have more chapters, too! But I can't think of a way to make it any longer. It would get boring. I have read several fics in which the author doesn't know where to end the story, and they just drag the story on and on and on. I don't want people to stop reading my story because it gets boring. Unless you can think of a way to make it longer, then it will end in a few more chapters. But I do have other stories I'm working on, and once I finish this fic, I'm going to start posting those ones. So you can still read my work. They just wont be apart of this story. I suppose I could write a sequel to this story...

Aria's Star: Why, thank you. Yeah, knowing that you split two people up would make anybody feel bad. Anyways, if someone tells me to do something, I am one of those people who won't do it because I don't like being ordered around. And after I stopped asking for reviews, I got more. I'm beginning to think that the reviewers are the same way I am. Maybe if you stop asking they'll review more. Just a suggestion...

InUyAsHaLuVaH91: You have caught up to the rest of the reviewers! Yay for you. Anyways. There will be one or two more chapters after this one. Or maybe just one, and then a sequel. But whatever. I'm glad I'm one of your favourites!

Evilinupunk: You really are psychic! That has happened to me a few times. And then I think, 'Wow, I have been here before. De Ja Vu!" Anyways, glad you have your internet back and thanks for reviewing!

RayxJade: It seems like all of my reviewers have difficulty getting to a computer these days. Oh well. Just as long as they read the story eventually, right?

Deathwaitsfornoone: I instead of E in dilemma (Sorry, but _you_ know how I am about spelling). Anyways, yes I did. I was trying to stick to canon (following the original plot lines) pairings. That meant Haru would be with Rin. And I didn't want to make it complicated by adding a character that would never again appear in the story. So I just stuck with Rin. And what does grated cheese have to do with anything?

KinokeGurl: Yes, I felt bad for making them split up, but I had to. As you said, this is a Kyoru fic and if Tohru was married, it would be rather difficult to have Kyo and Tohru end up together without getting adultery involved into my fic and I didn't want to do that.

Escapade08: Thanks for the compliments! You will see what happens in the end and I hope your not disappointed by how I end it.


	10. The Kiss

Author's Note: This chapter was an average sized chapter! 4 pages! Yay! The next chapter will be just as long. At least I hope it will be, anyways...

Chapter 10

"Kyo!"

"Hey Tohru," Kyo said as he stood in her open doorway. She now lived in a very small house not far from the college where she worked. It had only two bedrooms (small ones at that), and one bathroom. It was really no bigger than an apartment. But Kyo found it welcoming either way.

He stepped into Tohru's home. He noted that it was clean, not that he had expected anything else. As she led him into a tiny living room, he thought about what he was going to say to her. Kyo hadn't really planned on what they were going to talk about. He hoped that she wouldn't bring up her divorce, and prayed that she wouldn't blame him for it as Yuki had done.

"How are you, Kyo? It's been a whole year since I've seen you!" Tohru asked when both of them were settled into the living room. It was nicely furnished, even if it didn't have any of her old furniture in it. She had bought more, and decorated her house well with it.

"I'm fine," he said, keeping his answers short as to avoid unpleasant conversation. "Where's Sam?" It was a Sunday, so she should have been home.

"She's at daycare," Tohru explained. "I dropped her off there so I could have the day to clean the house. I finished about half an hour before you got here. When you rang the doorbell, I was just getting ready to go and get her."

"Oh," Kyo said. "Did you want to go and get her?"

"No," Tohru said. "Jina can take care of her until I get there. Samantha won't mind if I'm late. Besides, I want to know what's happened to you in the past year."

"Nothing much has happened. It's been a get up, go to work, come home sort of routine," Kyo explained. "So what's been up with you?"

"Well, I assume you know that Yuki and I are-" The word got caught in her throat.

"Divorced," Kyo finished for her. "Yeah, I know. Shigure told me. I'm sorry about that." He paused, not sure why he'd said that last sentence. He was trying to keep off of that topic.

She smiled. "Don't be. It was just a silly argument. No reason for you to worry," she said. Tohru acted as if Kyo didn't know he was the reason for the divorce. Kyo nodded, understanding that she didn't want to talk about it.She changed the subject."So how's work for you?"

"As good as it can be, I guess," Kyo answered. "I have the usual misbehaved student that I have to deal with. But at least Mr. Randall hired the same sub that he did last time. That way I wouldn't have to stay to make sure he could handle my kids. Last year I had to do that, and it took about a week until my replacement had it down."

"I'm sure they're not that bad," Tohru said with a slight giggle.

"Michael, one of my students, brought in a dead bird he'd found on his way to the dojo and put it in the middle of the room for everyone to see and smell," Kyo said. "Now, you can't tell me that 'They're not that bad.'"

"He did that?" Tohru asked, still laughing.

Kyo nodded. "And I had to clean it up. Not one of my best days at the dojo. And all Tani did was laugh at me the entire time. She didn't even offer to help."

"Speaking of Tani, have you asked her out since the last time you were here?" she asked, her voice faltering ever so slightly.

"Yes I did," he responded. He noticed that the edges of her smile dropped just barely, but she caught herself before letting it go altogether. Kyo commended her for remaining this cheerful on a subject that was so hard for her to talk about.

"And what did she say?"

"She said, 'Yes,'" Kyo replied as calmly as he could. "We've been dating for just under a year now. I believe our anniversary is in two weeks."

"In that case, how are things between you two?" Tohru asked, looking as if she showed an actual interest in the matter.

"Things are going good. She met Kazuma the other day," Kyo said without thinking. Tohru's eyebrows arched in surprise.

"She did?"

Kyo mentally scolded himself for telling Tohru that he had brought Tani along. He wasn't planning on doing that until he was sure that Tohru could take the news. "Yeah. She came with me," he explained, with no other excuse but the truth.

"Oh," Tohru said quietly. "So why didn't you bring her here?"

Kyo was silent for a moment. "Because I wasn't sure if you'd be able to take it." He paused and added in a hushed voice. "I mean, considering your current position..."

"You mean, my divorce?" she asked. Kyo nodded, realizing there was no manner in which he could avoid this conversation any longer. "Don't worry about that. I'm taking my divorce quite well, actually."

"That's not quite what I meant." They were both mute and Kyo realized that Tohru had known exactly what he'd meant, but was trying just as hard as he was to keep off of that particularly unpleasant topic.

"I know what you meant," Tohru said after a short while of silence. "And you're right. It would have been hard for me to meet her."

"Tohru, I know that you left Yuki because of me-"

"Yes, I did," Tohru interrupted. "I guess I was hoping you hadn't actually moved on. I guess I was hoping you only said those things to help me with my situation with Yuki... I guess... I guess I was too hopeful..." She stared blankly at the ground as a stream of tears made their way down her cheek.

Kyo hated to see her cry. But he didn't know what he could do about it. He couldn't very well say that he would leave Tani, because that wasn't something he was willing to do. So Kyo sat there, watching her cry with a grimace on his face, remaining silent.

"I'm sorry, Kyo," Tohru said, pulling herself together. "I shouldn't be crying in front of you... especially since I'm crying _about_ you," she added in an undertone.

Not wanting to give mixed signals, but not wanting to do nothing, Kyo got up and sat next to Tohru, grabbing a box of tissues he saw on the table on the way. He handed her the box and she took it gratefully, blowing her nose and wiping the tears off her cheeks the second she had taken it.

"It's okay," Kyo told her. He pulled her into his embrace to comfort her. He wasn't sure what else to do. A qualm feeling sank into his stomach as he hugged her. He couldn't help but think of what Tani would think if she saw what he was doing. "You can cry if you need to," he said despite himself.

Tohru pulled out of the hug after a moment and looked Kyo in the eyes. He felt like he had been trapped; he couldn't look away from her gaze. They sat there, staring at one another, Kyo trying as hard as he could to not do what he knew he was going to. His breathing quickened and his heart hammered against his chest as he held back. Kyo could tell the same thing was happening to Tohru. But they both knew that Kyo couldn't do what they both were about to do. He had a girlfriend, and if he did...

But try as Kyo might, he still found his face mere inches from Tohru's. He could feel her breath against his cheek. Finally, aftera fewminutesthat seemed like hours, Kyo gave into temptation and pressed his lips to hers. There they sat, sharing a long and passionate kiss.

After a long moment, Kyo came to his senses. He hastily pulled out of the kiss. "... Tohru, I'm sorry... I can't... Tani... I can't..." Kyo stammered, shaking his head. He couldn't seem to find the right words to say or the right order to put them in.

"It's okay, Kyo," Tohru said quietly, looking startled at what she'd just done. "We shouldn't have done that. I understand."

"Thanks..." Kyo responded, still in disbelief. He got up and walked toward the door. "I'll let myself out..."

"And I should probably get Sam from daycare..." Tohru replied. She watched him walk away, biting her lower lip with her head down in shame.

As soon as the door was shut, Kyo massaged his temples. **I can't believe I did that...** he thought, shamefaced, leaning against Tohru's door. **Tani is going to hate me...**

**Not if you don't tell her**, the haunting voice in the back of Kyo's head told him. That voice always told Kyo to do risky things that, for the most part, were helpful. But this time, Kyo couldn't even pretend to listen to it. He wouldn't be able to take lying to Tani about something so important. Kyo decided that he would tell Tani what had happened. Even if it meant her leaving him, he would feel better about himself knowing that he had told the truth.

**But that's just what you want to happen.** Kyo wished more than anything that his conscience would just disappear. Right now, it wasn't giving him any good things to think about.

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

Alicia: Wow, I submitted Chapter 9, and I got a review for Chapter 8 a few moments later. I thought that you were the first person to review for the 9th chapter. Oh well. At least you didn't have to wait as long as everyone else to read Chapter 9. And you even gave a review for Chapter 9! Coolness!

Fallen Angel: Yes, he did want to kill Kyo. But he held back, which was good. And by the way, I am going to write a sequel to this story. It might only be in epilogue form, but it is still a sequel. If I can think of a good title for the sequel, I'll write it as a one shot, but if not, it's staying at the end of this story. Just to let you know. PS: Don't get yourself grounded again!

Unchained3011: Glad you liked it. I felt sorry for Yuki, too. But sometimes an author has to make pain for characters to get to the end of the story. Look at all the stuff Kyo had to go through.

Furubaluver: You will see soon enough. And all of them are pitiable (I personally feel sorry for Tani the most). Most of them will be happy in the end, though.

ILOVEInuyasha07: That's just apart of some people's lives, I guess. Anyways, they couldn't still harbor hatred from the zodiac spirits after the curse was broken. So it would make sense that they hate each other a little less than before. Kyo now has no reason to be mad at Yuki (though Yuki has several reasons to be mad at Kyo), so he behaves more civil towards him. And yes, Tani is put in the middle of the entire mess. Things will be good in the end.

Escapade08: I agree with your logic. Tani works with Kyo and so does Torhu, but Tohru is more likely to win Kyo's heart. I'm sorry that nobody replies to your reviews! I don't know why they wouldn't. You are a very good reviewer, always leaving nice comments. I'm not going to put Tani and Yuki together. I kind of had other things in mind for the both of them. You will see in the sequel (yes, there will be one, it's a one shot) what I planned for them. Yuki isn't going to appear anymore in the story, and Tani will only appear in one more chapter, but they will both be in the sequel.

Soccergirl869: Yes, he'll have to, since this is a Kyoru. But it won't be as bad as a normal breakup between a woman and a man who is leaving the woman for someone else. It will be a little bit easier for Kyo and Tani than a normal couple. Let's just say that Tani is a little more supportive...

Cassie: Yes, I know what you mean. Cliffhangers are good because you get to use your imagination to think of what's coming next. They're bad because you don't know if you're right or not. And the advice was no problem. I like it when people ask me for help. Plus, there will be a sequel! It's only a one shot, but it's a sequel. It might be posted a few weeks after this story is finished, because it will most likely be longer than the average chapter in this story, so it will take longer to write. Maybe I should just write it as an epilogue and add it to the end of this story, so I don't have to think of another title...

Aria's Star: I love that movie! I especially like the added on "Far Away Idol." They sang some great songs! And FYI: that was just my observation on the matter. If it doesn't work, please don't yell at me for it. lol. Plus, you have some pretty popular stories by the looks of things (I liked 'I Will Be There Waiting,' personally). I mean, you have 160 reviews for just one of your stories. That's great by my standards.

Eternal Serena: I like your user name! And, I have another reviewer! Sorry, I didn't sleep much last night and I'm feeling a bit crazy at the moment. Anyways, thanks for the compliment. Yeah, I feel bad for them too. But it has to be written for the story to fit. We all must suffer for our art... Wait... the characters are suffering. Oh well... I really need to sleep more...

K40Sohma: I was wondering where you'd gotten to... Anyways, not many people think the way you do and ask me anyways. And then I don't really know what to say to them because I can't very well tell them. Thanks for the compliment.

Audley: Yay! My unhappy reader is happy again! Anyways, yes I did love the 6th Harry Potter book. Did you read my rambling about it on my look up? It is rather long, but I think it's good (well, it's not bad, anyways).

Half-Demon628: Thank you for the wonderful compliment! I'm so glad you liked it! You'll find all of that out in the next chapter.

Karen: Yay! You can review again! I am happy. And it sounds like your having a good day. Got your internet back, and you got to read my story. Two great things. Okay, I am being a bit too conceded about my writing skills...


	11. The Apology

Author's Note: I really don't have an excuse as to why this chapter is so late other than that I have been not working on the story. I've been working on a short Yu Yu Hakusho fic instead. Plus, I've had to babysit, do the dishes, and mop the floor a lot, lately, so I've been a little busy with all of my other duties. Sorry! This chapter doesn't seem up to my standards, so if it seems a bit off to you, I felt the same way (personally, I thought there was too much dialogue and not enough movement). And when I reread it for editing, it seemed to go awfully fast for 5 pages of writing. Oh well...

Chapter 11

**How am I going to tell Tani what I did?** Kyo contemplated, lying on his bed in his room a day after his trip was over. He still hadn't told Tani about his little 'meeting' with Tohru. But he couldn't think of a way to do it. Kyo didn't want Tani to be upset enough to leave him, but he thought that she had a right to know what had happened. **Just tell her, and hope that she doesn't get mad**, he resolved, standing up and walking to Tani's room.

He rapped on the door and waited patiently for Tani to open it. When she did (after he had to knock a few more times), she was wearing a set of headphones, her music still audible. "What up?" she asked him, pulling off the headset and turning it off.

Kyo was quiet for a moment, regretting that he hadn't planned out what he was going to say. Tani arched an eyebrow at him, wondering if he was going to say anything. **Just do it**, Kyo told himself.

"Tani, I have something to tell you," Kyo said solemnly. He led her into the living room. Tani bit her lower lip in confusion and apprehension as she followed behind him. They both sat down on the couch, and Kyo looked at their magazine collection sitting on the coffee table, seeming to find it more interesting than what he had to say.

"You were going to tell me something?" Tani reminded him, looking at her boyfriend in worry.

"Tani, I didn't mean for it to happe-" Kyo began suddenly, stopping to look at the door skeptically, which somebody had just knocked upon. "I'll get it." He stood up and walked over to the entrance to their house, Tani looking down to the ground, wondering what Kyo had been about to say.

"What are you doing here?" Kyo asked the visitor.

Tohru gave a small smile and looked down at her feet. "I came to apologize to you and Tani for what I did."

Kyo took a deep breath and let it out forcibly. He leaned closer to Tohru so that Tani wouldn't here him say it. "I haven't told her yet," he muttered, leaning against the door frame after he did so.

"You haven't?"

He shook his head. "I was just about to," Kyo replied, jerking his head to where Tani was sitting. She was now looking curiously at Kyo, wondering who was at the door. "Why don't you come in?" Tohru nodded and stepped inside the house.

"Who's this?" Tani asked in surprise.

"Tani, this is Tohru Honda," Kyo answered, gesturing towards the girl now standing in their living room.

"To what do we owe this visit?" Tani asked, taken aback that neither herself or Kyo was informed of her arrival.

Tohru seemed to shrink when Tani asked her the question. "...Well, I would say... but Kyo hasn't explained things... so I'll let him talk first." She then looked at Kyo, who sighed.

"This is what I was going to tell you," Kyo said.

"You knew she was coming over here?" Tani asked, somewhat confused as to what the both of them were conversing about.

"No, but I was going to explain something to you," Kyo responded. He walked over and sat down next to his girlfriend. "Something happened while I was visiting Tohru." Tani looked away, already developing an idea of what they were talking about. "As I said, I didn't mean for it to happen. It just did." He placed his forehead into his palm, his elbow lying on the armrest for support, and looked at Tani from behind his arm. Kyo then continued, his voice much quieter. "I kissed her, Tani."

Kyo looked away, afraid of her reaction. "I was afraid of that," she replied, her voice full of hurt.

"I'm sorry, Tani," Kyo apologized, his voice still quiet.

"That is why I'm here," Tohru said, still standing next to the closed door, both Kyo and Tani forgetting she'd been there. "I came to apologize, too. I felt horrible after it happened, Tani. So I left my daughter at the babysitter's for the weekend, and came here to request forgiveness."

"You're forgiven, Tohru," Tani replied. "I don't blame you for what happened. And you didn't really do anything wrong."

"Thank you," Tohru said, bowing her head in respect.

"It's Kyo that I'm upset with," Tani finished, looking over at the orange haired man.

"You have every right to be," Kyo responded guiltily. "I knew I had a girlfriend, and I should have stopped myself. But I didn't, and it happened... Again, I am so sorry." He dropped his head in shame, wishing more than anything that Tohru would leave so that he could talk to his girlfriend alone.

"I know you are," Tani sighed, wishing the same thing as Kyo.

Tohru, appearing to understand what both of them were thinking, stepped toward the door and gripped the handle. "I should get going... My plane leaves in an hour..."

Both Kyo and Tani nodded, happy for the alone time to talk about what had just happened, and Tohru left, giving a slight wave and shutting the door on her way out.

The living room was silent for a short while after Tohru left. Kyo walked over to the couch and sat next to Tani, each wondering who was going to talk first.

It was Tani. "Why did you do it, Kyo?" she asked him softly, wondering whether her suspicions about Kyo she'd had from the beginning were accurate.

Kyo shrugged. "I don't know... It just sort of happened..."

"I don't buy that for a minute," Tani said flatly. "Why did you do it?"

"I said I don't know," Kyo said sternly, not sure why he was being defensive. He actually knew the answer to Tani's question, but he really didn't want to give it. Kyo guessed that a part of him didn't want to hurt her.

"You know why you did it, and I want you to tell me," Tani said, somewhat angered by his attitude.

Kyo sat in his chair uncomfortably. "Why don't you believe me when I say that I don't know why I did it?"

"Because I know that you do," Tani replied. "Now, please quit changing the subject and answer the question."

"Why do you want the answer?"

"Because I want the truth from you," Tani said, scooting over towards him and placing her hand on his knee.

"Even if it hurts you?" Kyo asked, his voice hushed. She nodded. "Why?"

"Because it will help you." Kyo still remained silent. Fed up, she said impatiently, "Fine then. I'll answer for you."

"If you knew the answer, then why did you keep asking me?" Kyo asked irritably.

"I wanted _you_ to say it," she responded. Tani was quiet for a moment before saying what she thought.

"Well... Aren't you going to tell me the answer to your question?"

"... You love her," Tani said after another moment of silence, looking him straight in the eye as she said so. Kyo took a sharp intake of breath.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, his body almost rigid

"Oh, come on, Kyo," Tani said stubbornly. "You know I'm right."

"If that were true, why would I still be with you?" Kyo asked, still unsure as to why he was pretending. "I mean, she divorced her husband for me. If I loved her, why wouldn't I have left you?"

She rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. "You practically said so yourself. You don't want to hurt me."

He was quiet for a moment, but eventually, Kyo sighed, defeated. "You're right." Tani smiled at her own knowledge.

"So why aren't you with her?" she asked, changing the mood in the room. Kyo gave her a questioning look, wondering what she was talking about. "Tohru! Why aren't you with her?"

Kyo gave out an astounded laugh. "Because I'm with my girlfriend, that's why," he said, still shocked by Tani's question.

"But you love her," Tani protested.

"Tani..."

"Kyo, we both know that I'm just a replacement," Tani explained, her tone becoming serious once again. "You only went out with me because you couldn't have Tohru. You and I both know that you are meant to be with her, not me."

"Yeah, but-"

"And, I've got news for you," she continued, not listening to Kyo's protests. "She is no longer taken, and you _can_ have her."

"Thing is, _I'm_ taken, now, Tani," Kyo said, his words finally being listened to. "By you."

"... Not anymore," Tani announced after a moment of thought. Kyo looked at her, startled by what she'd said.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Tani explained. She paused, what she was about to say being difficult for her, because she didn't really want to do it. But she knew it was for the best, so she had to say it. "I- I... don't want... to be your girlfriend anymore."

"You don't mean that," Kyo replied with a slight chuckle in his voice, thinking it had been a joke. He stopped laughing when Tani didn't laugh along with him. "You do..." She nodded.

"You need to go after the woman you love, and quit wasting time with her replacement," Tani said, matter-of-factly. Kyo sat on the couch quietly for a moment. He wasn't sure what just happened or how he should feel about it. He ran over the events in his head. **I just got dumped... Yet I'm not unhappy... And she seems fine with it. **He looked up at Tani, hoping for some way to stop his confusion. She only said, "If you don't go now, I'll never speak to you again."

That last sentence resolving any doubt he had, a grin spread across Kyo's face. He pulled Tani into a hug. "Thank you for understanding about everything."

She smiled too, hugging him back. "No problem," Tani replied, holding in tears of both sadness and joy. She pulled out of his embrace. "Now, I meant what I said about not talking to you again. You'd better hurry."

Kyo nodded. He gave her a peck on the cheek, stood up and left out the front door with a wave good bye to Tani, who waved back. Kyo headed for the first place he would go to if he was leaving an awkward situation: the bus stop. He guessed that if Tohru had actually gone there, she would have just missed the previous bus, and would currently be waiting for the next one to arrive.

As he rounded the corner, Kyo saw his target sitting on a bench. He also saw the bus coming around the corner on the other end of the street, the bus being closer to Tohru than he was...

End Note: Ooh! Cliffhanger (not a very well written one, as it is 4:15am)! Remember, only one more chapter to go until the end! -several of my reviewers cry out in anger at me while I sit here at my computer listening to their anguish, able to do nothing about it- But remember, there will be a sequel! A oneshot, maybe, but it's still a sequel...

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

Eternal Serena: I can't help it. Sometimes I just can't sleep, and so I stay up and clean (my room has been clean for the past month because of this). But I have caught up on my sleep, and I am now well-rested. Anyways, I like to leave it with just a bit of one. Enough to make the readers wonder.

ILOVEInuyasha07: Yup. Well... only one now, but that's because you just read the other one. Anyways, enough of my confusing talk, I hope it ends good, too. I don't want all of my reviewers to be unhappy with the ending.

Unchained3011: That's okay. Everyone has sleepy days (I just seem to have them more than others. Lol).

Aria's Star: That's funny. And I'll be sure to read your Kyoru! If it's as good as your other stories... well... then it will be really good!

Soccergirl86: I'm glad you like my story. It puts a relief in my heart to know that you like it.

Bette Bavette: I've read up to the 15th volume, and from what data I've collected, Tohru will end up with Kyo. Yuki has another person he ends up with, so you can put the axe down... please... I'm afraid of axes... Anyways, Yuki won't end up with either of those two. I have other plans for him. Yeah, I tend to make people feel bad for the people they don't want to in my fics (well, my editor, anyways, who is basically the only person who's read my other fics yet). You need to catch up! Well, if you're reading this, that means you have caught up... so I guess you don't have to then...

Half-Demon628: I hope the end of the story will come out good. If not, I'll have failed as a writer. Okay, I'm being overly dramatic.

K40Sohma: Yes, they do. Everything will work out for both of them in the end, though. Promise! Thank you for the wondrous compliment! And if you can't wait for my story to be updated, that must mean I'm as good as you say I am.

The Fullmetal Alchemist2: Thank you for telling me who you previously reviewed as. A lot of my other reviewers don't do that, and I think I have a new reviewer and that my old reviewer disappeared. Anyways, I'm glad you liked it. I wasn't sure if people would like that part or not, but I had to put it in, and so far I have gotten a positive response. I feel bad for Tani, too. And I have read up to the 15th volume, but I'm not sure if that's all that are out right now (Only 11 books are printed here where I live, and I read the others online, but I think the 16th one is out). Well, I'm glad you didn't lose your mind, and I hope you didn't lose it waiting for this chapter.

Escapade08: You guessed that? Hm... Anyways, he's doing the right thing, yes. And it makes this fic have the correct ending. And I really don't know what I'm going to call the sequel, yet. I might just make it a 13th chapter and call it an epilogue if I can't think of a title.

Lilaznanimeluver: I like dramatic music! I have another reviewer! Yay!

Demon's Amaya: I have no idea how you could have possibly made that completely correct guess! I was sarcastisizing if you couldn't tell (for all of you people reading this who aren't Mary: inside joke). PS: Told you I'd update at like 4:00 in the morning.

Alicia: That is what I do best. Make people gasp. But I really hope that the suspense doesn't kill anybody. That wouldn't be good. Because there is a possibility of lawsuits, and I'm afraid of lawyers. Hey, I just noticed something. During a lawsuit, you have to wear a suit! Hmm... Now I must contemplate if the people who created the English language did that on purpose, or if they did it just to make me think these things...

PTDM: That's what I did. That's what I had planned all along. It's like you can read my mind... Weird...

RayxJade: I know! Isn't it just so kawaii! And it's great that you have a computer again! Now you can read my story!

Karen: Sorry! If I didn't have them, then my story would be one big run on chapter after another. I wouldn't want that. And as I said in Alicia's response, I really hope the suspense doesn't kill anybody.

Evilinupunk: That's okay. Everyone has computer troubles. Sometimes my computer restarts while I'm writing a chapter, and I didn't save. Then I have to rewrite everything. It's horrible. Thanks for the compliment!

Furubaluver: Yup. You guessed right. He ends up with Tohru. And Tani will be happy in the end (she ends up with someone else, but I won't say who).

Celeste Noir: Thank you for taking the time to read my story! I don't usually like to read long stories either (unless I start to read it when there are only a few chapters). I hope I have time to read your story. If I do, I'll be sure to read it.

Khknight: Yeah. Neither of them were planning on doing it, it just sort of happened. They both felt horrible about it afterwards, though (But Kyo's conscience wasn't feeling too upset, I might add).

Deathwaitsfornoone: Yes, you need to chill out. I'm sorry. I didn't know when you'd be back because you didn't tell me. With Mary, I knew when she'd be back, and I knew that she would be gone when I updated. So for all I knew, you were home and hadn't read the chapter yet, because I know how forgetful you are when it comes to checking things. Plus, all I said with Mary's was that I knew she would have reviewed if she'd have been home. It wasn't that much. I'm sorry if I offended you in any way. I don't want you to think that I like Mary more than I like you. Because that's not true. You're both my best friends. Please get over this jealousy thing that you have, because it makes me feel horrible when I spend time with Mary and you're not there. And then I feel like I have confessed to a crime when I tell you about something Mary and I did together while you were camping (or doing something in which I couldn't reach you). Again, I'm sorry for making you feel bad, but really, you have no reason to feel that way. I hope I have cleared this up (And if it makes you feel any better, this response is longest. lol).

Kathy: I have found myself doing that a few times, staying up really late and reading an entire story. Thanks for reviewing my story!

Audley: Same here! All I do is sit at my computer. But I do also jump on my trampoline, go swimming, rock climb, go for walks... wait, what was my point again? I guess I don't sit on my computer_ all_ of the time, but a good majority of it. Anyways, I also find myself going insane sometimes. Especially when I don't get much sleep, like last night for instance. And I don't think I'd be willing to flash my panties, but I would dance (even if I would look like a moron when I did so)!

Wow, so many reviews for Chapter 10. Around 20. And I thought that people wouldn't like that chapter...


	12. The Chase

Author's Note: Sorry it took a while. I would have updated on Friday, but I was at the mall all day (or really I just got lost down town with my friend Mary), and I was too exhausted when I got home to update my story. Saturday I had to baby sit (more walking as she wanted to go to the park, and was prepared to leave without me if I didn't take her there; BTW, park nearest the little girl's house: a mile away). Sunday through Tuesday I had internet troubles. When I went to go and post it, nothing would load, so here it is, on Wednesday. Now you may ask what I was doing last week instead of writing my story. I was helping Holly write a fanfiction (it would appear that I have become wise when it comes to stories, because I am now an editor, too) entitled 'Shampoo.' It makes no sense, and it is posted under the username of Demon's Amaya (one of the people to help write it and one of my reviewers), since Holly doesn't have an account. It would mean a lot to Holly if you reviewed, so if any of you would be interested in reading about a world wide shampoo crisis that involves a lot of randomness and insanity from two crazy people and a sleep deprived person (guess who?), then please read it. Or, you could just be nice and help me help out a friend...

Anyways, on with the almost final installment of my story, 'Tears of Rejection'! Will Kyo get to Tohru? Will the plane leave before he can reach her? Will I ever let you read the story? Of course I will. Here you go!

Chapter 12

Kyo stared at the bus, blank faced in shock, as it approached Tohru. He knew that even if he ran to her, the bus would still get there first.

But that didn't mean he didn't try. As soon as he'd recovered from his shock, he took off at a sprint towards the bench. He tried to call her name, but all of his energy was making sure his legs kept on pumping, and his shouts were barely audible.

He slowed to a stop when he heard the sound of bus doors opening. Kyo watched helplessly as Tohru stepped onto the bus, listened regretfully as the driver pressed down the gas pedal, and let his gaze travel disappointedly with the bus' movement as the bus passed him, carrying Tohru away.

Kyo stared down the street until the bus was out of sight before falling onto the bench. He sat there, miserably, running over his options. **I suppose I could wait for the next bus... No that would take too long, and besides, I don't know where she's going...** he thought. Then he remembered what Tohru had said as she'd walked out the door.

"_I should get going... My plane leaves in an hour..."_

**The airport! She's going to the airport!** Kyo realized. If she was taking the bus, it was only logical that she would leave about an hour before so that she wouldn't be late for her flight. The only problem now was that he didn't have a way to follow her. If he waited for the next bus, she would already be on her flight home by the time he'd reach the airport. Then the idea came to him.

He walked over to the nearest pay phone and picked up the phone book. Finding the number for a taxi company, he pressed the buttons on the phone so that they matched the ones in the book. He waited for two rings before someone answered.

"Hi! This is Amari, for Hishika Taxi Company. How may I be of help?" a very exuberant woman asked him when she answered.

"Uh... yeah. My name is Kyo Sohma and I need a taxi," he responded.

"Okay, sir. Well, I need your location and the place to which you are headed, and we'll send someone right away!"

Kyo gave her the address of the house he was standing in front of, and told her that he needed to get to the airport. Amari then told him that a person would be there within fifteen minutes to take him to his destination.

The taxi driver showed up five minutes after he hung up the phone. Kyo got in the cab, and was off to the airport, already half way through the drive and not even three minutes into the ride yet. The reason for this was because Kitsa, the name the driver had given Kyo when he'd gotten in, ran every red light, passed every stop sign, and cut off as many cars as she could on the way to the airport. Kyo had told Kitsa his reasoning for needing to go to the airport at the beginning of their, at the time, casual drive. As soon as the driver heard this, she pushed her foot down on the gas and sped the cab up. Apparently, she'd had the same thing happen to her with an old boyfriend.

"There's a difference in our stories, though, Kyo," Kitsa had exclaimed back to him as she'd ran yet another stop sign. "The difference is..." she said pausing to make a sharp turn and shifting the gears so that the cab would actually attain the turn without flipping over. "...that you'll make it in time!"

Kyo smiled at this woman's enthusiasm towards the matter, knowing that someone understood what he was going through. He let Kitsa drive at her high speed, being thrown against the door he was sitting next to as he rounded a left turn, and being practically suffocated by the seatbelt when she turned the other way, all the while hoping that he'd reach Tohru in time, enduring the pain of Kitsa's driving for her.

Around five minutes later, not even half of the normal time it would have taken to reach the airport in a normal taxi cab, the two arrived at the airport. Kyo stepped out of the car and paid Kitsa the fare, which had been severely decreased due to the driver's speed.

"Thanks, Kitsa," Kyo said, walking away from the taxi and towards the entrance to the airport.

"Wait, Kyo," Kitsa called to him. He turned around and looked at her. "Go get your girl." Kyo gave her a grin as she drove off, several miles faster than the speed limit permitted.

Kyo walked into the building, newly encouraged by Kitsa's words. He walked up to the front desk and rang the bell to get the informant's attention. The man behind the desk looked up from his book, apparently not very busy.

"Yes?" he asked with a yawn, marking his book and setting it down on his desk.

"When does the flight to Tokyo leave?" Kyo demanded, exasperated.

The man looked at his watch and then up to the scheduling board. "In about... thirty minutes, I'd guess."

**Thirty minutes...** Kyo thought. His mind raced. Could he catch her in time? What would he do if he couldn't? All he knew was that he had to get to her. "Where will the plane be boarding?"

"Uh... I believe it's at terminal 4..." the man replied, a confused look on his face.

Kyo sighed. "You're new here, aren't you?"

"Just started yesterday..."

Kyo rolled his eyes and walked away from the desk, leaving the man to ponder. He hoped that he would be able to find her near the food court. Or maybe she'd be shopping at one of the small shops... He walked from shop to shop, looking in each one, checking carefully for Tohru. Not succeeding, he went for the food court. Scanning over all of the tables, chairs, and lines, at last, Kyo spotted her. She was standing in line to get a smoothie from Jamba Juice.

He walked up to the line as calmly as he could. Tohru was the second to last person, so he stepped in front of the person behind her. Ignoring the man's objections, he tapped her on the shoulder.

She craned her neck around, and seeing that it was Kyo, turned around completely to make sure her vision was accurate. "Kyo?" she asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I... I came for you," he answered quietly. Her brow furrowed, not quite understanding what he meant.

Tohru grabbed Kyo's arm and led him away from the line, giving a quick apology to the man behind her. "What are you talking about, Kyo?"

"Just what it sounds like. I came for you," Kyo responded.

"I don't know what you mean," Tohru said. "When I left, you were trying to fix things between you and Tani. And now you're here, saying you came to get me. I don't get it."

Kyo was silent for a moment. "Things didn't work out between me and Tani..."

"Kyo, you're the one who told me it does no good to give up," Tohru argued. "I didn't listen to your advice, but why didn't you?"

"I tried Tohru, I really did," Kyo explained. "But... I guess... I needed you more."

"What about Tani? Did you leave her fo-"

"No I didn't," Kyo interrupted before she could say the wrong idea. "She left me."

"Why?"

Kyo paused before answering. "Because both Tani and I knew that her feelings were one sided." He sat down in the nearest chair, Tohru sitting across from him. "She always knew I liked you, but she thought that we could work around those feelings. So did I. But we were both wrong." Tohru looked at the table. "I love you, Tohru. I always have. It was so hard on me when all those years ago you told me you were already taken. That's why I left."

"That was hard on me, too," Tohru replied. "Watching the man I love walk away from me for something I didn't do. I felt horrible. I think that's the only reason I went to Yuki... He made me feel better, I guess."

"I really should have let you explain back then," Kyo said, moving to the seat next to Tohru. She merely nodded, not wanting to start crying when she spoke. They sat at the table in silence until Tohru couldn't stand it any more. She leaned over and rested her head onto Kyo's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.

Kyo laced his fingers together behind her back, hugging her in return. He kissed her on the forehead, causing her to look up at him. Seeing a moment, Kyo pressed his lips against hers softly in a swift kiss. Tohru smiled up at him, affection playing across her face. Already in the moment, she leaned up and kissed him in response, this time creating a more passionate one than the last.

They only broke apart when a voice over the intercom announced, "Plane 32, leaving for Tokyo, now boarding. Tokyo flight, now boarding."

"My plane..." she said quietly, looking at the P.A. system and hoping it hadn't really said anything. She then looked at the clock. It was 3:00, and Tohru knew that her plane left in a few minutes. She stood up and began to walk towards the terminal.

Kyo hesitated for a moment, wondering if he could let her go again. Knowing that he couldn't, Kyo stood up and chased after her, grabbing her hand and halting Tohru's steps. She looked at him, startled. "Don't leave..." he begged, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Please stay. I... I don't want to lose you again."

Tohru gave him a small, sad smile. "I have to go, Kyo."

"Why?" he questioned. "You stay with me... Or am I too late again?"

"That's not it..." she replied, looking him right in the eye.

"Then what is it?"

"I can't very well leave Samantha at the babysitter's, can I?" Tohru answered, smiling wryly and continuing her walk to the terminal.

Smiling and giving a chuckle at Tohru's trick, Kyo caught up to her and walked her to her plane, seeing her off. He watched the plane fly away and walked out of the airport. He climbed into the taxi that was waiting for him just outside, as he had reserved a cab before leaving, and buckled himself into the back seat.

"So, you didn't get her, did you?" a familiar voice asked him. Kyo looked up at the driver. It was Kitsa.

"Actually, I did," he responded, matter of factly.

"Then where is she?" Kitsa demanded.

"She'll be back," Kyo replied. "She just went home to get someone."

"Well, it's great that you got your girl, Kyo," Kitsa said happily, but still curious as to where this girl went. "Where to?" she asked pulling her belt on over her chest. She hadn't even let Kyo respond when she put the cab in gear and sped down the road, taking her passenger to his unidentified destination.

End Note: Yes, I did promote Jamba Juice in this fic, but that's only because I had Jamba Juice for dinner last night, and I couldn't think of another thing right off the top of my head. And since it was at the food court in an airport (which have a whole lot of restaurants from all over the world), there was bound to be some American food places there, like Jamba Juice.

I have decided to give credit to my dad for a part of this story. I based Kitsa's driving off of his. I'm serious, that's how he drives, in a hurry or not. I thought his would be the perfect inspiration for that part of my story.

Plus, I have decided to put the sequel as another chapter, as I can't think of a title. But I still may do a sequel, focusing on Samantha and a few other people (maybe the relationships I create in Chapter 13). If you have any ideas, I'll gladly look over them (I will most likely use them, but I can't promise. So if you have one, let me know what it is). Leave them in your reviews, please! It would be greatly appreciated!

_**And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

MacDuffyGirl: Yup! I'm proud of him too! But I have to feel bad for Tani... (not so much as the other people do because I know what happens to her, and I know that she's happy... but oh well).

Furubaluver: I'm sorry! That's just how it turned out! It might be longer (emphasis on the might). I wish it was longer too! But sadly, it's not. I do have other stories that you can read (not yet posted, but they will be).

K40Sohma: Thank you for the compliment! And it's no problem, that's just when I sleep (yes I'm weird, but I have this thing called partial insomnia, so I sleep, but not very long). Sorry! I like to add at least one cliffie in my stories. I hope this one wasn't too bad as to kill anybody with suspense (read reviews for Chapter 10, quite a few of them said that they would die if they had to wait very long).

Half-Demon628: You got to see, see? (I hate repeating myself) Thank you for reviewing, and I don't think I'll have failed because I have gotten about 150 reviews and that's pretty good (sure there are some authors with like 4000, but hey, that's Harry Potter fanfiction, and _everyone_ reads that. Besides, there are more _pages_ of Harry Potter fanfiction than there are _stories_ in Fruits Basket, so if your story is in that category, it's bound to get quite a few more).

Aria's Star: Yes, even I cheered as I wrote that. My brother gave me a few weird looks because I was writing it and knew it was going to happen, but oh well. No prob. I gave it to you because it's true.

ILOVEInuyasha07: Eek! Don't kill me! I'm too young to die! And then I wouldn't be able to update anymore, so then you would be even more upset. Killing me wouldn't help your predicament at all. Lol.

The Fullmetal Alchemist: Thank you for understanding! So many people have yelled at me to make it longer, but I don't know how to! I would if I could, believe me!

Evilinupunk: That made my day, that compliment did! Sorry abou the cliffie, just couldn't help it. I know it could, but I like to stick to my original plot, so... yeah. I guess I could go off on everyone else, but I have other things to do. High School is starting soon for me, and I was given summer homework (not in summer school, but I'm in honours classes, and they do that sort of thing to smart people).

Alicia: I know, pretty much all of my reviews complained about the cliffie. Oh well... You can't please everybody... (But in my case, I pleased no body... o0)

Eternal Serena: I got a lot of spiffy reviews for last chapter too! I hope I get lots more for this one! Thanks for a compliment. It made me feel better about the last chapter (So did all of the spiffy reviews!)

Demon's Amaya: I think so too. It's getting a movie ending, but oh well. That is how it's ending, so... yeah.

RayxJade: It's great that you got to a computer! And it's great that you'll have your old computer again. Thanks for the compliment.

Unchained3011: lol. I agree! But as you read, that didn't happen. He needed to train harder!

Soccergirl869: I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to keep the chapter short enough so that there would be a next chapter. Or is that what you were upset about? If not, can you say what it was so I can fix it? Unless I already fixed it...

Celeste Noir: Well, I read your story, and I thought it was very good. I assume you got my review (the email to me tipped me off), and I'll take your word for it when you say you'll answer my question. Me being a budding author, I am prone to ask questions before giving time for the author to explain, which is a bad habit, really. I need to learn to stop doing that. I have found myself yelling at a book (when I know there's another one after it) for answers, and my mom thinks I'm crazy...

YoukaiOnigiri: Yeah, I think so. I hope that by the time I update, you'll have caught up to the end of the story (though if you're reading this, that means that you have, and I answered my own question).

Karen: Yeah, I liked the pairing a bit, too. But this was a Kyoru, so it didn't stay. And it's not the last chapter! Yay! But only one more. Unless I have a sudden idea on how to make this story longer (which I don't think I'll be able to), then the next one will be the last chapter. Though I am thinking of a different sequel idea...

Escapade08: Yeah, I kind of based it on how I would handle that situation. If I could tell I was in a relationship with a guy who obviously cared about another girl more than me, but he was with me and hadn't done anything with the other girl (unlike Kyo...), I would dump him so he was happy. Though I would dump him even if he did do something... That's just me though... And I'll try to make more Kyorus (I already have a few ideas...)! Sorry my story isn't longer!

Miho Yamaguchi: Thank you! I hope you finish reading my story! Wait... you did! I try to make it sad. I really do. So I guess I succeeded!

Deathwaitsfornoone: Okay. Just don't go talking about those things again (at least in your reviews, please). I'd be game for dancing. No front yard! Maybe at a dance...

PTDM: Well, you saw what happened. I was thinking about that, but I didn't do it for reasons unknown to me. I guess the other idea overtook my hand or something...

Kathy (At least, I think you meant Kathy.): I've read up to the 15th book online, so no spoiler. But I don't think he said he loved her. I think he thought it. But oh well. I've had arguments with my friends about whether or not he said it aloud or just thought it, and I don't feel like arguing again.

KinokeGurl: Hope I made it a good chapter for you!

Audley: Sorry! Didn't mean to brag... And before I got it, I have to admit I didn't have a life outside the computer... hehehe... I could have sworn I said that he saw her sitting on the bench waiting... -goes to check- Yep he did... oh well. I do that all the time. I read something different than the author wrote. Like with the Harry Potter books. I read 'Professor Trenwally', rather than 'Professor Trelawney.' Don't know how I did it, but I did. And when in the 3rd movie, they said her name, and I had to go home and check my book to make sure they had said it right. Anyways, I dance to music videos in my living room, when nobody is there, of course. And don't worry, I've had people threaten my life if I didn't update, so yours is mild compared to that. Your kitty sounds cute! I feel that way about my cat all the time (the thing about him hurting me, not the eating thing, although he's pretty cute)...

Keiko2009: Thank you for the compliment! I like the name Tani, as well. That's why I used it. There will be another chapter, but no more after that. Possible sequel. Sorry.

Khknight: Not to worry. She will.

KittySand Katie: HOORAH! You are back! I missed your reviews _so_ much! Anyways, don't worry about book 11. It's only on the forehead. And the last thing he says, don't worry. I believe he only thought it. But I could be mistaken because in the 12 volume which I found online, he says he apologizes for the kiss, but not for what he says. So I'm not sure. You'll have to read it and make your own inferences.

Another large amount of reviews... About 30, this time...Not that I'm complaining. Yay! I am becoming popular! Right when my fic ends, too...


	13. Epilogue: The Wedding

Okay, I have no excuse for why this is so darn late except that... I forgot. I know you all are going to hate me for this, but that is truly the reason. When I remembered that I needed to post, I couldn't get on the internet because, either my mom unplugged it for a punishment, or it was down because of a bad connection. And when I did have internet, I got completely distracted and didn't post it. The main reason I've been distracted for about a week is because I have become an editor. So if you want me to be a beta for you as well, just ask, and I will. I find it fun to look through papers and find mistakes. I know, I'm weird. And since this is the last chapter of my story, then I won't be distracted from anything. Anyways, just thought I'd tell you guys that. You can read the chapter now, which was an 8 page word document- it's long.

Epilogue

Kyo stared at his reflection in the mirror he was standing in front of with apprehension. Sure, he looked great in the black tuxedo, his black bow being on completely straight. His hair was neatly combed down, and he had a red chrysanthemum pinned into his pocket with perfect alignment. Ayame had done a great job with his outfitting.

But he couldn't help but be extremely nervous about the position he was in. Kyo wondered if Yuki had been as nervous when going through the encounter. Kyo doubted it though. He knew that he'd never been as nervous in his entire life, and he didn't think that he ever would be again. At least, he hoped he wouldn't. The horrible nauseous feeling he had in his stomach at the moment was enough to make him run out of the building and hide so he didn't have to face the situation. Kyo knew that wasn't an option, though. He had to stay. Tohru would be so upset if he left.

Kyo sighed and slumped into the chair next to the mirror and looked at the clock. **Five minutes until I have to be out there**, he thought. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

A hand on his shoulder forced Kyo to halt his meditation and look at the visitor to his room. It was Yuki, wearing an identical tuxedo to Kyo's- except for the fact that it was white.

"Nervous?" he asked.

Kyo nodded. "Never been as nervous in my life," he answered, his voice having a somewhat uneasy tone to it.

"That's normal," Yuki replied, sitting down in the second chair in the room.

"Were you nervous?" Kyo questioned, now vocalizing the question he'd had earlier.

"Sure was," Yuki said, nodding.

Eager to change the subject off of his unsettling troubles, though this subject had been haunting him as well, Kyo asked, "You mad at me?"

Yuki looked at him, confused. "For what?" he asked. "Making Tohru happy? No."

"Actually, I-" Kyo began, but Yuki cut him off.

"I know what you mean, and I stand by my answer," Yuki reassured. "She wasn't happy with me, and I understand that. You two will be great together."

Kyo gave his cousin a smile and stood up, a new surge of courage bestowed upon him by Yuki's words. "Come on. I should be out there now." Yuki nodded and stood as well. Kyo led the way out of the room.

They reached the hallway, and Yuki extended his hand for his cousin to take. Kyo grabbed it, and shook it firmly. "Good luck," Yuki said to him, before they both continued to walk down the hallway towards the alter.

* * *

In the room just a few doors down from Kyo's, Tohru sat in the tiny love seat, biting her lower lip while she listened to her two best friends talk.

"Don't be scared, Tohru," Saki reassured. "It will be fine."

"Yeah," Arisa agreed, clapping her friend on the shoulder. "Kyo is great. You're really lucky, Tohru."

Tohru looked up at Saki and Arisa and smiled. "Thank you, guys," Tohru said. "I don't think I'd be able to go through with this if you weren't here."

"Come on," Arisa replied. "You've wanted to do this for at least seven years, Tohru. And now that the time's come, you think we're gonna let you chicken out? No way!" At these words, Arisa received another smile from her brunette friend.

"Are you alright, now?" Saki asked, resting her hand on Tohru's knee in concern.

Tohru nodded. "I think I can do this." She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. Ayame, who had insisted he design her dress (and had attempted to make everyone else outfits, but could only convince Kyo and Shigure- of the men. Tohru had let him make her bridesmaid's dresses, which Saki and Arisa currently wore), had made a brilliant gown for the occasion. It was pure white and strapless. The silky fabric was at a comfortable level of tightness. It was loose enough so that she could walk freely, but snug enough that it showed off the curves of her legs. The lace 'v' shaped trim that aligned her waist was a perfect parallel to the same shaped trim that topped her chest. Her veil may have been the most elegant part of her ensemble. It contained multiple layers of a fringed see-through fabric. The white headband adorned with realistic- but still fake- bouvardia flowers held the veil in place. It was a Western dress, and that was because her and Kyo had decided to have a Western wedding. She'd had a traditional Japanese wedding when she'd wed Yuki, but Western weddings had always appealed to her, and she convinced Kyo to have one.

"You look great," Arisa said, moving so that she was standing next to Tohru. "I hope I'll have a great dress like that at my wedding... But for now I'm stuck in this black dress being your bridesmaid."

"Oh, come on," Saki argued. "Kureno will ask you to marry him any time now, Arisa."

"Yeah, yeah," Arisa responded, rolling her eyes. "I know he will, but he's not doing it fast enough." Her two friends laughed at her impatience.

After allowing herself a moment of laughter to relax, Tohru looked at the clock. "Oh my!" she exclaimed. "It's nearly time!"

"We'd better get going, then, and take our places," Saki said, standing up and walking with Arisa out the door, leaving Tohru alone in her dressing room.

* * *

Kyo stood at the alter next to the robed priest, an unnerving awareness of the gazes upon him entering his consciousness. Haru, Yuki, Miles and Katsuro stood beside him, all in white, acting as his groomsmen. He hadn't really known anybody else enough to want them to be in his wedding. Juro almost qualified, but Kyo thought it would have been awkward for both of them. Kyo never would have guessed it, but Juro had taken up the role of Tani's boyfriend after he'd left. Apparently, Juro had always liked Tani, and when he had asked her out, she agreed, saying that he had a certain charm to him that appealed to her. Kyo reasoned it was because she didn't want to be alone until she got over her breakup, and said yes to the first guy she'd found. Whatever the reason, Tani and Juro were now together, it was the reason Juro hadn't been picked for a groomsman.

Taking a deep breath, Kyo looked at the people who were sitting in the rows of seats to watch the wedding. He saw his father, Kazuma, sitting in the front row with Kunimitsu sitting next to him. The proud look on his face made Kyo smile. He knew that his father had been expecting this ever since the curse had been broken. Kyo knew that Kazuma had waited a long time for his son to get married to Tohru, and today was the day it was happening.

Kyo saw all of his other relatives- Shigure, Ayame, Hatori, Hiro, Momiji, Rin, Kureno, and Ritsu- sitting in the first two rows. Hatori was rolling his eyes at Ayame, who was bawling in the seat next to him, dabbing his eyes with tissue paper and blowing his nose, quickly using up the box of said paper sitting on his lap. Ritsu was sitting quietly, listening to Momiji talk avidly to anybody who was listening. Kureno was making short responses to Shigure's attempts to make conversation. Hiro and Rin both looked like they wanted to be anywhere but in the church. Kyo guessed that Hiro was there because Kisa was one of Tohru's bridesmaids. Rin was probably only there because Haru was a groomsman, and their two year old son was the ring bearer. She looked so out of place amongst the Sohma men, her being the only female in the two rows.

The remaining rows were filled with Kyo's friends. Mainly people he'd met in Nagasaki. Katsuro and Miles' families were sitting in one row, Miles' children squirming in their seat impatiently, their mother trying to get them to sit still. Katsuro's wife was attempting to get her son to remove the headphones from his ears, but was having a very difficult time. Tani was sitting in the row, too. Juro's arm was draped over her shoulders. Just because Kyo hadn't wanted Juro as his groomsman, that didn't mean he and Tani were excluded from the wedding.

Turning his head to see the other side of the aisle, Kyo saw Tohru's family. The only people missing were her parents and her grandfather. Both of Tohru's parents were dead, and her grandfather was going to walk her down the aisle in place of her father. The elderly man was currently waiting for Tohru out in the hall, so that he could give her away. The rest of Tohru's family was talking excitedly about how their 'little Tohru' was getting married for the second time. One of her cousins was commenting on how he hoped this relationship would last longer than her other one. Saki and Arisa's parents were there as well. They had always considered Tohru their 'family,' so it only made sense that they were there. Plus, their daughters were bridesmaids.

Kyo's gaze lingered over to the entryway, where he knew that Tohru would enter from. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered wildly around as Kyo thought of what he was about to do and the intensity of it all. He was giving his life to Tohru, committing himself to her. Kyo would now be Samantha's stepfather. He would now be promised to Tohru and Tohru alone. He would now be caring for and supporting Torhu with everything he had.

He smiled at the thought.

Kyo had always wanting this. Ever since he'd expressed his feelings for Tohru- even though he'd been rejected at the time- he'd hoped with all of his being that this day would come. It was finally here, and for this he was happy. Kyo had never been as nervous in his entire life, but he had also never been as happy.

'The Wedding March' began to play from the organ in the corner of the room and Kyo changed his posture so that he was perfectly straight. He felt rigid all of a sudden. Then the doorway to the church room opened, and a small girl of seven entered carrying a basket of rose petals.

Samantha was so cute as a flower girl. She wore a beautiful pearly white Sunday dress with a matching headband holding back the loose hair from the french braid laying down her back. Sam had on a pair of white leotard with two black shoes going over her feet. The shoes matched the woven basket, from which she removed a handful of rose petals that she sprinkled over the walkway as she traveled down the aisle.

A small boy followed behind Kyo's soon to be stepdaughter. He had on a black tuxedo that was matching his raven locks. Edan, Haru and Rin's little boy, balanced the two golden bands carefully on the white pillow, never letting his dark eyes leave the rings. He had been told that his job was very important, and Kyo almost felt sorry at how seriously the boy was taking it.

The children reached the podium and Samantha took her place. Edan, on the other hand, walked up to Kyo and held the pillow up above his head. "Here," he said quietly in his childish voice.

Kyo smiled at Edan and knelt down so he was level with the toddler. "Thanks, but I'm gonna need you to hold onto them for a little while longer. When that guy," Kyo explained, pointing to the priest. "asks, 'Who has the ring?' You'll say, 'I do.' Then you come up with the pillow. Got it?"

Edan nodded and walked over to where Samantha had stood, which was next to Yuki. The little boy put the pillow down on the ground and sat down next to it, keeping his eyes on his father (the only person he knew out of Kyo's groomsmen), who was looming over him.

Kyo again stood, just in time to see the bridesmaids begin to walk down the aisle. Saki and Arisa walked, arms linked, directly in front of Kisa and Kagura, who were similarly connected. Kagura was crying as she walked, using Kisa as a support. Kisa looked terribly uncomfortable. They passed all the rows of benches until the four women reached the last one. They then separated and took their places on the bride's side of the alter.

The only sounds in the room were Kagura and Ayame crying, and the organ playing. The pianist restarted the song, and the alter doors opened one more time. Kyo looked at the door, smiling as his fiancé entered the room, her grandfather's arm entwined with hers as she walked up to the priest, where Kyo was waiting for her.

* * *

Tohru looked around the church, seeing all of her friends and family in the aisles of benches. She bit her lower lip in apprehension. It wasn't as if she didn't want to do this; Tohru had wanted to marry Kyo for the longest time. But it was an overwhelming sensation to know that the day had finally come when she would become Mrs. Kyo Sohma.

She looked down at her grandfather, who was beaming up at her. Tohru smiled at him and smelled the flowers in her hand. Her bouquet contained many different flowers. There were iris flowers, delphinium, tulips, hydrangea, and several other assortments. It had been very expensive because most of the flowers weren't native to Japan. The aroma of the flowers had a calming effect on her nerves and she looked up the aisle with a new confidence.

Tohru saw Kyo standing next to the priest. She could see the emotion in his eyes and by the way he smiled at her. He looked so nervous, yet so happy and loving. Tohru tried to give the same smile back. The result was that she didn't end up smiling. She only looked like she was about to cry, which she was. It took all of her strength to stop the tears.

It was only when the priest spoke did Tohru realize that she was at the end of the aisle. The organ had stopped playing so that the priest could be heard. "Who gives this woman away?" the priest asked.

Tohru's grandfather stood up straight and proudly proclaimed, "I do. Her grandfather."

"Thank you sir. You may be seated now," the priest said. The elderly man nodded and went to take his seat in between Tohru's aunt and cousin.

"We are gathered here today," the priest began. "To witness the union of these two people. And to help Tohru and Kyo celebrate a new life together. If there is anyone present who has a valid reason as to why these two should not be wed, please speak now, or forever hold your peace."

The room was silent for a moment. Someone in the audience let out a small cough and Ayame could be heard sniffling in the midst of the quiet. "Good," the priest declared. "The exchanging of vows is a commitment..." He continued the ceremony with a long speech about how a wedding was the highest declaration of love and how everything symbolized how much Kyo and Tohru love each other. Tohru had never been as happy in her entire life. She listened intently to the priest, realizing that each of what he said was true. She glanced at Kyo. He was doing the same thing.

* * *

"Kyo Sohma, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?" the priest asked.

Kyo looked at the priest and then towards Tohru. She was smiling. Keeping his eyes on his bride, he said, "I do."

"And do you, Tohru Honda, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?"

Tohru shifted her gaze from the priest to Kyo, who was still watching her with affectionate eyes. "I do."

"Now, I understand that the bride and groom have written their own vows," the priest said. "Kyo, you go first."

Kyo nodded and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He opened them and turned his body so he was facing Tohru. He grabbed her hand and began. "We have been though some very hard times with this relationship," he said. She nodded. "But throughout it all, I never once stopped loving you. I know, for about a year or two, it seemed like it. But not a day went by when I didn't think about you. At the time, it was hard for me, and the people around me, to deal with. Now I know that it was a good thing. Otherwise, I don't know if we'd be standing here today, together. My only wish is that this had happened earlier. That there was never a misunderstanding between us. But there was, and this is now, so I'm just happy that you're here with me."

"And now you, Tohru," the priest requested, motioning his hand towards the bride.

"I only have one thing to add to what you just said," Tohru explained. She paused and took a few deep breaths, getting her wits together. "You taught me to think that if you think something is right, to go for it. This is definitely right to me. Nothing in the world has ever been so clear. I am supposed to be with you, and nothing anybody can say will change my mind about it."

The priest smiled at them both."And now for the exchanging of the rings. Who has the rings?" The room was silent for a moment. The only movement in the room was Haru bending down and saying something to the little boy at his feet.

Edan gasped and stumbled to stand up. He picked up the white pillow and hurried over to the podium. "I do," he said, sounding as if he had just been caught in the act of doing something horrible. Edan held out the pillow, mumbling something about not paying attention as he apologized for not bringing the pillow right away.

The priest thanked the boy, Kyo and Tohru taking their appropriate ring from the pillow before Edan ran off to hide behind his father's legs.

"Kyo, please place the ring on the third finger of Tohru's left hand," the priest told the groom. Kyo complied. "Repeat after me: With this ring, I bestow upon you my never ending love. I present it as a symbol of the circle of love we share."

"With this ring, I bestow upon you my never ending love," echoed Kyo. "I present it as a symbol of the circle of love we share."

"Tohru, please place the ring on the third finger of Kyo's left hand," the priest repeated. She did. "Repeat after me: With this ring, I bestow upon you my never ending love. I present it as a symbol of the circle of love we share." Tohru did as she was told, copying the priest's speech word for word.

"These two lives are now forever joined in holy matrimony," the priest preached. "These two find in each other the love that most men and women search for their entire lives. May they grow with compassion and understanding as their love flourishes. Therefor, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

He took a moment to look at them both. He smiled again before continuing. "You may now kiss the bride."

Kyo's heart leapt. This was the moment he'd been waiting for during the entire ceremony. Kyo turned to face his bride; she was already looking up at him with a smile on her face. He leaned in and kissed her, a euphoric sensation entering his body as he did so. It felt to Kyo that in that kiss, all of the affection they had been denied because of their mishap was being expressed. He was sure Tohru felt it too. Kyo was reluctant to break the kiss, but he knew that they couldn't very well stand like that in the church all day, no matter how much he wanted to.

He separated from Tohru and they just stood there staring at each other while applause from the audience filled their ears. Kyo and Tohru looked at each other as if to ask, "Ready to go?" Tohru nodded and the two of them walked out of the chapel to the limo waiting for them by the door.

* * *

Kyo sat down the newspaper he was holding on the kitchen table and stood up. The baby was crying in the nursery and he needed to go tend to the child. He walked down the hall and into the nursery, which, five months ago, was the office. Kyo and Tohru had converted the computer room into a baby room two months before Tohru had the baby.

Entering the room, Kyo went to the crib where the three month old little girl lay on her back, crying over some unknown reason. He picked her up and cradled the baby in his arms, rocking her gently to try and calm her.

When the girl didn't stop, Kyo walked out of the room with her and to the kitchen. "It's okay, Taira," Kyo cooed to the little girl. "I'll get you some breakfast."

He opened one of the cupboards and picked out a pink bottle. After filling it with pre-prepared boiling water, Kyo put a spoonful of formula into the bottle and stirred it together. Completing the mixture, he dabbed a bit onto his arm to check the temperature. It was just about right. He held up the bottle for Taira to take, and when she had it in her mouth, walked to the living room and sat down in the rocking chair.

Kyo looked up when he heard a knocking at the door. "Tohru, could you get that?" he called. "I'm feeding Taira and I don't want her to start crying."

"Okay!" he heard his wife call from their room down the hall. Footsteps sounded, and the creak of the door was heard. "Sam, Yuki. Hey! It's a surprise to see you here, Yuki. Normally you have her come in a cab."

"Well, I have a business meeting in town, so I just came on the plane with her," Yuki explained.

"Hi mom!" Kyo heard Samantha say. "Thanks for bringing me over here, Dad. I'll see you this summer."

"Sure, Sam," Yuki said. "Be sure to get help on your math homework before going to school."

"Will do, Dad," Sam replied. Kyo then heard the door close. Samantha and Tohru then walked into the living room and both took a seat on the couch.

"Hey Sam," Kyo greeted. She smiled a response.

"Hey, Mom, Kyo. Can either of you help me with my homework?" Samantha asked. "Dad didn't have time last night."

"You had homework over spring break?" Kyo complained. She nodded.

"And why did you wait until last night to start it?" Tohru scolded. "You had all week to finish. Why didn't you do it?"

"Because Dad and I were having fun at the beach," the eight year old replied sheepishly.

Her mother sighed and rolled her eyes. "Why don't you have Kyo help you," suggested Tohru. "I have to go to work in a few minutes." She then stood up and walked towards the bathroom.

"I've got to put Taira in her play pin before I can help you," Kyo said as he stood up. "Be right back." Samantha nodded and waited while he put the baby in the play pin. "So what's the problem?" he asked as he sat down.

"We're working on multiplication," she explained as she removed her backpack and pulled out a notebook. "But I can't get this problem." She pointed to an equation. _34 9_.

"What don't you get about it?" Kyo asked.

"I keep getting the wrong answer," she said. "I get 276, but when I put it in the calculator, it says 306. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"Why don't you show me your work," Kyo offered. Samantha nodded and did the problem. She handed the paper for her stepfather to verify. "I see what you did. You forgot to carry the 3."

With a confused face, she took the paper back and looked at her work. "Oh, I did!" Samantha exclaimed. "That's why I got 276. Thanks, Kyo." She then took out an eraser and fixed her work.

"Anything else before I take you to school?"

"Nope," she pipped. "I got everything else." Samantha put all of her things back in her bag and placed it on the ground. "Can I have breakfast? I didn't have anything at Dad's house."

"Sure," Kyo responded. "Just not waffles. You're way too messy with those."

Samantha grinned and poked her tongue out between her teeth as she wrinkled her nose. "I want pancakes, then," she joked.

"How 'bout some cereal?" Kyo suggested.

"Okay, but tomorrow we're having pancakes," Sam warned. They both laughed as they walked into the kitchen to fix up Sam's breakfast.

Okay, I am being extremely lazy, and I'm not going to reply to reviews this time. Sorry! I just want to hurry up and get this posted after I made you guys wait so long for the chapter. Plus, there's this rule that says I can't have contact with the reviewers (which is the stupidest rule). But that's not the reason I'm not responding. If I wasn't being lazy, I would reply anyways, despite what the rule is. But I will still thank all of you, see?

**_Thank you to all of you who reviewed!_** khknight, evilinupunk, Chibi Inu Chan, Demon's Amaya, Felflowne, Sana ChiChi, k40Sohma, ILOVEInuyasha07, Unchained3011, RayxJade, Aria's star, Keiko2009, Furubaluver, Miho Yamaguchi, christophirus, deathwaitsfornoone, soccergirl869, Celeste Noir, Audley, PTDM, Escapade08, Alicia, Kathy, Fruits-Basket-Inuyasha-Fan, Karen, and Kyo-13

And I'll answer a few questions that I got in the reviews (despite my hurry). I felt that if there were questions, those, at least, had to be answered since I wasn't replying to everyone. Again, I'm sorry for that!

**Will there be one more chapter, or a sequel? Or Both? **- ILOVEInuyasha07

As you can see, there was another chapter. As for a sequel, if I get an idea for one, I'll write one. I'm thinking about doing something with Samantha, but I'm not sure. If you have any ideas, then I'll gladly take them.

**Are you going to write more fics?** - Christophirus

Yes I am. I don't know if my next one will be Fruits Basket, though. I have an Inuyasha one I've been working on, and I started a Yu Yu Hakusho fic, so those will come before any more Fruits Basket ones. Although I do have some pretty good ideas for more Furuba stories...

**Where is Kyo headed now?** - Celeste Noir

Well, I sort of left it off there. But for those of you who were wondering where he went in the cab, and there were at least two (and I bet others were wondering), he went home. He talked to Tani about what happened with Tohru. She listened and was happy for him. They talked about new living arrangements, which you learned about this chapter. Then Tani moved out, and Tohru moved in (poor Tani). Now Tohru and Kyo share the master bedroom, Samantha lives in Kyo's old room, and the office is a nursery. Tohru got a job as a chef, Kyo still works at the dojo in Nagasaki. Now why didn't I make a chapter out of this, you may ask? Because I hadn't planned on it. I always planned that would be the ending, then I would talk about the wedding. When people asked about it, I didn't write it because it wasn't how I had originally designed the story. I stuck to how I wanted it. I hope my summary of what happened is satisfactory. But if you guys really want me to make a chapter out of it, then just tell me. I might do it.

**I want to know how the curse was broken.** -Fruits-Basket-Inuyasha-Fan

I guess I sort of started my story after the curse was broken, because I couldn't think of a way myself. I just sort of said that it was, and made my story start after that point. I know, I was lazy to not think of a way, but I just couldn't. So I'm sorry that I didn't say how it broke, but I guess that means you can use your imagination to make up your own way.

**How will Samantha act around Kyo?** -Fruits-Basket-Inuyasha-Fan

I guess I sort of answered this question in the chapter, but I feel I need to answer it more thoroughly. In chapter 6, you learn how comfortable Samantha is with Kyo. She tells him all of her worries and talks about the problems her parents are having, hoping he could fix it. In a sense, he did. By having them split up (even though that wasn't technically his doing), he made them happier. Tohru by being with the person she truly wants to be with, and Yuki because he didn't have to handle Tohru's emotional instability any longer. As I explained in this chapter, Tohru and Yuki are still friends and Yuki still has partial custody of his daughter. All of these things were solutions to Samantha's problems. Since Kyo was the cause of all these answers, Samantha is very happy with her new stepfather and I imagine she would be very comfortable around Kyo.


End file.
